Gaara Sakura: Five Kage Summit Arc
by LoveAnime5891
Summary: The Five Kage has held their conference at the summit, regards to the issue of a criminal/rogue ninja, Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura and the others were concerned for the future outcome of his being, whereas Madara Uchiha, who resurrected from the dead has officially declared a 4th Ninja World War, which is about to begin.
1. Oh, Sai

**Hey, guys. I'm back and I'm gonna keep writing and writing on until I reach the end of the GaaSaku** **story. I'm so excited to complete and bring this pairing to life.**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoy reading and don't forget to review on this very short chapter! :)**

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"I've arranged it so that you've been assigned to Team Kakashi. Not just around the same age as Naruto Uzumaki. You're stronger than anyone in your generation in the village. More than anything, your artistic mind is simply amazing. From today until the mission is complete, your name is Sai," Danzo announced firmly while holding onto his cane.

"I'm Sai..." the guy said to himself quietly.

"Don't use a fake smile like that in front of me," Danzo scolded.

"I'm sorry... The manual said that the first way to appeal to someone is with a smiling face. I've practiced but I'm still unable to make these facial expressions," Sai noted lightly.

"Alright. Now, do you understand what I've assigned you to do?" Danzo asked for reassurance.

"Yes, sir," Sai nodded in certainty.

Surely without a doubt, Sakura and Naruto will be surprised to see their newest member in their group as they are about to encounter what he truly is.

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 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	2. First Impressions

**This is the second chapter and I'm working on the other chapters to make sure the story line is in order. I'll be finishing this story as soon as I can without postponing or delaying. If anything happens, I'll notify you all.**

 **Anyways, please read & review! :)**

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On that day, Naruto was walking down the streets while thinking about his other friends going onto their missions. He didn't know what he was supposed to do for the week and decided to go and asked Shikamaru for some advice at the Chunin Exam Preparatory Committee Building.

"Bah... As I said, it's troublesome, but I have to sort out the entrants for the chunin exam. I know we have a sort of friendship thing and I'd like to help you out. Unfortunately, there's just no way I can do what I want either. It's Lady Tsunade's orders. You'd think I get enough nagging from my mother," the leaf jounin leader explained.

"In that case, I'll give you a hand," Choji called out behind them and held out the wrapping box in front of him. "Hey, Shika. Here's the lunch your mother ask me to bring you."

"Choji!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

"You sure you can say that so easily? Don't you have a mission with Asuma-sensei and Ino?" Shikamaru queered.

"Come on, we can't just ignore Naruto's request. I'll try to talk to Asuma sensei about it," Choji said kindly.

"Yash! Thanks a lot!" Naruto gave him a thumbs up.

"Even if you said it to Asuma-sensei, he'll still say no. He has lady Tsunade's standing over him, after all," Shikamaru pointed out.

Suddenly, someone's hand pulled a scroll out of their pocket and slid it open, along with a paintbrush.

On the other hand, Chojji ignored Naruto's comment about him being a fatass when he unleashes his power that increases the size of his fist to counterattack the ambush behind him. The blonde-haired ninja's eyes narrowed at the tiger clawing its way towards them, whereas Choji pummeled his fist through the form, which splashes several blotted inks everywhere. Though, another animal figure appeared in front of them, but then was once crushed into drops of ink by his fist again.

"Over there..." Shikamaru muttered lowly as the three of them were facing the far distance to where the mysterious ninja was sitting on the slanted wooden roof.

"I've never seen him before. He's wearing a leaf headband!" Naruto described as he squinted his eyes to further examine.

"That came from nowhere... I have no idea what he's doing, but that guy needs to be captured and handed over to the interrogation squad!" Shikamaru stated firmly.

At that moment, the ninja continues to paint the blank scroll with the heavy strokes quickly, much to their alarm.

"I'll cover you! Go, Naruto!" Shikamaru ordered.

"Got it!" The blonde-haired ninja said as he began to charge forward without hesitation.

"Ninja Arts: Great Beast False Image," the leaf ninja said monotonously. He then releases the three animal figures out to attack him from the bottom of the ground.

Naruto stood frozen on his spot with a glare towards them to perform his own technique.

"Naruto, get down!" Shikamaru warned as he extended his own shadow to cut the pieces of the animal parts that was now currently dripping.

On the contrary, the blonde-haired ninja jumped in the air and landed on top of the roof to confront the mysterious ninja, where they both clashed their two kunai knives at the same time. "Who the hell are you?"

"You're fairly weak. So what do you have between your legs?" The leaf ninja asked with a fake smile.

"I said... Who are you?" Naruto asked repeatedly in irritation.

Then, both of them stepped a jump back after they collided their weapons with one another.

"We'll meet again, Naruto..." The leaf ninja said lightly, then he noticed a shadow lurking beneath his feet to grab him, so he disappeared rapidly in a swirl of flames.

During the day back in the Hokage tower, Lady Tsunade was informing one of the leaf jounins to take Kakashi's place to lead the members on the upcoming mission.

"That's how it is. I'm telling you this right now. Remove the mask since this is only a regular task that you will need to complete. Not an ANBU Black OPS duties that you always work on," the fifth Hokage instructed while crossing her hands together.

"I understand," the leaf jounin nodded.

"Oh, and also... There is one new member that is assigned to Team Kakashi. Please keep an eye on him. He is something else which Danzo had recommended," Tsunade advised carefully.

"Alright, ma'am. As you wish," he replied back and left the office.

Later on, Naruto and Sakura had met up with the leaf jounin who is their new leader for their new mission.

"My name is Yamato and I would be taking Kakashi's place as your sensei for now," he introduced himself and continued on. "But first, there is someone that I would like you to meet."

Both of them looked at the person with different reactions that they have on their faces.

"Oh my god! It's you again!" The blonde-haired ninja pointed his finger shockingly at the leaf ninja, who smiled at him.

"Naruto, did you guys met each other?" Yamato asked surprisingly.

"Sorry about earlier. I was only testing my abilities to fight correctly and gladly be part of this team. I didn't know I was going against an ally with no balls," the leaf ninja said smiling.

"What did you say?!" Naruto fumed in rage, whereas Sakura was restraining him from trying to hurt the new member.

"Hey! Calm down! He's our teammate now!" The pink-haired kunoichi said, then she stared at the leaf ninja to point out. "You are not that nice..."

"Hmm. Well, I like people like you, ugly," he said still smiling in amusement.

"Ahh! Cha! What did you say?!" Sakura questioned fiercely while Naruto was holding her back as well from punching him.

"Anyway, let's move on. Shall we? Please introduce yourselves to each other," Yamato instructed.

"Naruto Uzumaki," the blonde-haired ninja clenched his teeth in annoyance.

"Sakura Haruno," the pink-haired kunoichi clenched her teeth in irritation.

"My name is Sai," the leaf ninja said smiling.

Both of them were narrowing their eyes towards him, which they were having their first impressions that he's very bothersome. Of course, they will be spending their time together, not as a team, but also as friends. Well, that's what Sai was thinking to himself.

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 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	3. Set Backs

**Please read & review!**

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"Okay, guys. We will assemble at the front of the gate in one hour. After sorting out your equipment, please be ready as soon as we all depart," Yamato instructed firmly with his hands placed on both of his hips.

Later on, Naruto and Sakura were taking a stroll while discussing about their new teammate who recently joined the group.

"I really can't stand that asshole Sai, you know," the blonde-haired ninja said exasperatedly and continued on sternly. "Why is he taking Sasuke's place all of a sudden? Three people is enough for Team Kakashi..."

The pink-haired kunoichi stared at him for a moment in which she understood what he was feeling and said with a smile. "He's definitely very vulgar. But don't you think he somewhat resembles him? His face, his voice and all..."

Naruto crossed his arms behind the back of his head and pointed out. "Hmph. Not a bit. Sasuke's way cooler and much better than him."

Sakura looked at him in surprise and did not expect him to admit a thing about their friend.

"Yeah. You're right. Sasuke is somewhat cooler," the blonde-haired ninja complimented.

"Huh?! What do you mean by 'somewhat?' He is way, way better," the pink-haired kunoichi expressed deeply.

During the day, Sakura was informing Tsunade at her office, regards to the issue of their getting along with Sai.

"Ah, that bad already?" The fifth Hokage asked in astonishment.

"Yes," the pink-haired kunoichi nodded in reply.

"Well, I'll try my best for the moment. Just make sure that Naruto is under the control and doesn't cause any trouble towards your teammate. There's no way other around it," Tsunade sighed tiredly.

Then, a sudden knock was heard twice, which made them turned their attention on the door.

"Enter!" Tsunade called out as Danzo appeared in front of them.

 _"Who could that be?" Sakura asked in mind curiously._

 _"I don't know. But I have a strange feeling about this old man. He's someone who cannot be trusted easily. Girl, the next thing you will find out is that his devil horns are starting to show up," her inner remarked firmly._

"Ah, Danzo. What is it?" Tsunade asked politely.

"You have assigned an elite ANBU to be the leader of Team Kakashi. Is that correct?" Danzo questioned for reassurance.

"I chose the person who stood out the most. The third Hokage's spirit was in the office," Tsunade answered with a smile.

"Excellent. But I hope that Sai hasn't taken his teaching to heart. That old man was always afraid of getting into disputes and making decisions," Danzo smirked suspiciously and continued on. "Like how your grandfather taught the Third, hmm? Anyway, I'm satisfied now. I can go eat and rest. Goodbye," he said as he turned around and slowly walked away from them, then left the office.

"Who in the world was that?" Sakura queered in peculiar.

"That was Danzo. He competed for the title of Hokage with the late Third, Sarutobi-sensei. He's different from him. He's an overly serious, militaristic, logical thinking leader, and Sai's superior,. As the student of Sarutobi-sensei and granddaughter of the first Hokage, Danzo despises me," Tsunade explained in crestfallen.

Sakura stared at her silently and understood their history without saying anything about it.

"Well, then. It's time for you to go. Good luck on your mission and come back safely," the fifth Hokage informed kindly with a smile.

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded and said. "Thank you, lady Tsunade. I promise you, this mission will be successful like the rest."

"Of course. I believe in you and the rest. Again, don't let Naruto hurt Sai," Tsunade chuckled in amusement.

"Don't worry. I got him," Sakura smiled and giggled, then left the office as she was about to head at the front of the main entrance gates with Team Kakashi.

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 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	4. In Search For Sasuke

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The newly formed Team Kakashi was proceeding onto their mission as they were traveling to the Tenchi Bridge. At that time, they decided to stop by where Sai has noticed that Naruto has been narrowing his eyes at him. He doesn't know why he was acting strange and suspicious towards him.

"What is it?" The white-skinned ninja asked blankly.

 _"Hmm... I guess they are a little alike, even their voices too," the blonde-haired ninja thought skeptically in mind._

"Please stop staring at me. Don't make me hit you," Sai replied directly.

"Every damn thing you say just pisses me off more!" Naruto gritted his teeth in rage vehemently as he was clenching his fist tightly at him.

"I don't have any malicious intentions towards you," Sai said lightly.

"LIAR!" The blonde-haired ninja growled.

"I'm just trying to put on that kind of attitude," the white-skinned ninja stated simply.

"AHA! So you are planning to do some shit. Why the hell are you here?! All you do is piss other people off!" Naruto ranted out.

"Hey, hey. Calm down. Don't say anything like that in front of your captain, Naruto. Teamwork and cooperation are the most important things in a team. I thought Kakashi had already taught you that," Yamato explained and asks. "Someone like you in a team with him, just what is your problem?"

"It's because he's not a member of Team Kakashi!" Naruto pointed a finger at Sai on the right accusingly and pointed out. "The other member of Team Kakashi is Sasuke! This guy is just taking his place to fill the gap. I'll never consider someone like him as a team member!"

Sai grinned with a smile and said. "Well, I'm glad you think of me that way. I wouldn't be likened to the weak shit-for-brains Orochimaru's clone who only cared about power and suddenly ran off to him, betraying the entire leaf village."

Naruto glared at him and swore. "You bastard..."

As he was about to charge and attack him, Sakura gestured her left arm out to stop.

"Truly, the important thing is teamwork. Sai, Naruto... Since he doesn't know you all well, he just said too much. I'm sorry. Please forgive Naruto," the pink-haired kunoichi said sincerely.

"Sa-Sakura..." The blonde-haired ninja was loss at words.

"Hmm. I'm glad that one of you is reasonable," Yamato sighed in relief.

"Think nothing of it," Sai said smiling.

"Well, that's good," Sakura replied back with a light chuckle.

Suddenly, she blow a huge punch against Sai's face that literally threw him off on the ground, much to Naruto and Yamato's shock.

"On the other hand, you don't have to forgive me," Sakura reminded darkly.

"Ah. You have completely fooled me there. That fake laugh before... I'm impressed," Sai said as he wiped off the blood from his mouth.

"Since you don't seem to know anything about our friend, don't talk about things that you have no idea of! If you bad-mouth Sasuke one more time, I won't hold back," Sakura threatened angrily in a warning.

"Hehe... Gotcha. I won't say anything right in front of you. But you can use a fake smile, which I will gladly remember," Sai said amusingly.

"Why are you still acting so cheerful? You've just been hit," Naruto pointed out.

"A smile's the best way to get out of trouble, even if it's fake. Amazingly, it fools everyone. I read that in a book before. It doesn't look like it works here," Sai stated and stands up from the ground.

The next day, Yamato went to go and meet the Akatsuki's spy, which turned out to be Kabuto Yakushi. Ater discussing their conversation, Orochimaru suddenly appeared and attempts to attack Yamato with one of his snake techniques. Then, the rest of Team Kakashi began to show up until Naruto transforms into a four-tailed fox state due to his anger and frustration, much to the others' astonishment. He was fighting against Orochimaru down at the bottom ground without stopping himself from controlling the power of the fox's chakra.

 _"Ugh. Even my sword of Kusanagi can't pierced him," the snake-man said in mind while holding out the weapon from his mouth._

"Tsch. Look at him, did he want to save Sasuke at that state?" Kabuto asked smirking and continued on sternly. "His consciousness is fleeing now. Poor kid."

Sakura stood frozen on her spot and remembers the time where Naruto made a promise of bringing Sasuke back. She shed a tear and decided to run towards her friend who had already lost his control over himself.

"Wait, Sakura! Don't get to close to him yet! It's too dangerous!" Yamato yelled in a warning.

"Naruto! Stop... Stop it now! I'll get Sasuke back. I'll show you!" Sakura pleaded in desperation while tears were streaming down on her face. At that moment, one of the tails had swung against her shoulder, leaving a wound.

Although, Yamato finally managed to get close enough to use the technique to bring Naruto back to his human form. Meanwhile, Sai was taken by Orochimaru and Kabuto to his hideout to talk about the mission he was assigned by Danzo. The rest of team Kakashi had already found out what Sai was up to lately and his goal was to destroy the leaf village and originally kill Sasuke. Sai did have a connection with his brother, which is why he drew a picture of them holding hands together. It was a picture of their dream. After what Naruto had said to him, Sai immediately had a sudden change of heart and decided to take Sasuke back home in which he had mentioned the word "bonds."

That moment, Sasuke angrily retaliated by blowing up the room, much to everyone's surprise.

"What was that?" The blonde-haired ninja asked curiously.

"Over there, it's Sai's chakra," Sakura said with a quick notice.

Sai got up from the ground and looked up to the dark-haired ninja, saying. "You live up to your reputation. I mean, to be able to overpower my jutsu is quite something."

On the other hand, Team Kakashi stopped by the hallway, where Sakura narrowed her eyes at their new teammate. She started to run towards him and grabbed him by the neck.

"You! What the hell are you after?! How many times do you plan to back-stab us in the back before you're happy?!" The pink-haired kunoichi scolded strictly.

"Ah, it's Sakura..."

"Huh... That voice..." The pink-haired kunoichi got startled when she recognized the familiar tone and slowly glanced around to see her long time friend. "Sasuke..."

Naruto heard the name and made his way out of the hallway to look at him in person. His eyes widened in disbelief, along with Sakura when they both noticed something different about him.

"So you're also here, huh Naruto? Is Kakashi here too?" Sasuke asked emotionless.

"Sorry, it's not him. But I'm his substitute, Yamato. As Team Kakashi, we will be taking you back to the leaf village," the leaf jounin commanded firmly.

"Team Kakashi..." the dark-haired ninja repeated.

All of a sudden, Sai quickly drew his katana sword and held out in front.

"Sai! So you really were going to kill him?!" Sakura questioned furiously.

"So, it was him that filled in my absence? Saying something he'll protect my bond with Naruto? Once again, another tepid guy has come into this," Sasuke remarked quietly.

"What?" Sakura asked confusedly.

"Yeah, it's true that my classified mission was to eliminate you, Sasuke. But I'll leave your life alone now. I want to make my own decisions. Naruto, remember my past feelings? Something that I felt was very important to me. I don't really know you that much, but Naruto and Sakura came all the way just to find you. So desperately, I have some reason to be here. If you cut your bonds with them, you'll become desperate to connect yourself once more. Again, I still don't know how to clearly say this, but Sasuke, you should know that yourself," Sai explained strongly.

"Yeah, I know. That is why I broke them off a long time ago," Sasuke replied coldly, much to their dismay. "The bond that I carry now is the bond of hatred with my brother. Having many bonds lead my strongest ambition astray. It weakens your important feelings."

Naruto looked back on the moment of confronting Sasuke about not leaving the village and the team behind, then he asks in frustration. "Then... Why the hell didn't you kill me? Didn't you plan on cutting those bonds?!"

"Naruto..." Sakura muttered sadly.

"It's a simple reason. I didn't cut myself off from you. It was to follow a way I heard from him. It was only a measure to get power," Sasuke stated.

"What do you mean?!" Naruto questioned.

"I don't need to explain to you. But still, what I can say to you at that time is saving you on only a whim," the dark-haired ninja said and flashed forward in front of Naruto quickly.

 _"When did he get here so fast?" The pink-haired kunoichi asked shockingly in mind._

"Oh, right. Didn't you have a dream of becoming Hokage? Is it really so good for you if you lost even that by chasing after me? Isn't it, Naruto?" Sasuke asked coolly as he slowly drew his own sword. "That's why at this time. You will lose by my hand!"

"A person who doesn't save one of his friends can hardly become a Hokage. Isn't that right, Sasuke?" The blonde-haired ninja asked quietly.

Unfortunately, the dark-haired ninja ignored him and continues to pierce him with his sword. But then, Sai stood in the way to stop him from killing Naruto.

"Now!" Yamato exclaimed as he made a few hand signs to perform his wooden techniques.

"Chidori Nagashi!" Sasuke releases his chakra from his body in which Sakura had noticed.

 _The pink-haired kunoichi narrowed her eyes and began to charge towards him with her tight fist. "I'm going to stop you with my own power!"_

 _"Hold on, those eyes of his. He's serious..." Yamato noted in mind and shielded Sakura from Sasuke's attack._

The sword had pierced through his left shoulder without even hesitation.

"Yamato Taichou!" Sakura called out in shock.

"My Kusagani Sword is a bit special. It cannot be blocked," Sasuke explained as he was holding tight on the sword, then he heard Naruto grunting in a slight pain and noticed that his form was transforming into a nine-tailed fox.

Though, Yamato pushed the sword out of his wound, and tried to trap Sasuke in a wooden prison, yet he failed. The dark-haired ninja stepped back and landed on top of the mount as he continues to look down on them.

"Why don't you understand?! Your body will soon be taken over by Orochimaru!" Naruto pointed out directly.

"If it happens, so it happened," Sasuke stated and continued on. "When I was a kid, for me revenge is everything. If that was granted to me, what happens to me or to this world is nothing to me. I'll make it clear even now. I can't beat Itachi and neither can Orochimaru. But by giving my body to Orochimaru, we can get the power to do that. I'd give my life again and again."

Sakura and Naruto had their eyes widened in disheartened, whereas Sai narrowed his eyes at Sasuke in disappointment.

"Let's end the talk. Guys, I didn't want you to use violence on him. I'm sorry about that, Sasuke. We'll get serious," Yamato said firmly.

"Captain..." Sakura muttered sadly.

"With the leaf village or with you, I'm done," Sasuke said as he was about to attack them again, but was immediately stopped by Orochimaru's hand.

"Don't use that technique," he scolded.

"Let go," Sasuke said.

"Hey, hey. You're again speaking like this to Orochimaru," Kabuto chirped.

"I've got no reason to be stopped," Sasuke stated.

"You also know what Akatsuki is doing now. We want these people from the leaf village to manage Akatsuki. Every little thing helps. If they hinder the other one, your revenge will also get easier," Kabuto explained.

"It's a pitiful reason," Sasuke remarked.

"Well, it's to improve the success rate of your revenge by 1%, isn't it?" Kabuto asked rhetorically.

"Let's go," Orochimaru instructed as the three of them disappeared in a wave of smoke.

Sakura and Naruto, on the other hand, succumbed to their helplessness of retrieving Sasuke once again. It was futile.

"I failed..." the blonde-haired ninja sobbed in despair. "I can't bring him back to us!"

The pink-haired kunoichi started crying and said hoarsely. "I'm still with you... We'll get stronger together!"

Sai began to smile and said cheerily. "Don't worry, you have about 6 months. Since three is better than two, I'm pretty strong as it is."

"Hehe... Thanks," Sakura said as she wiped her tears off. They will still find a way somehow that they are able to bring Sasuke back. It wasn't the right time for them to do so, but they will continue to pursue him sometime in the future.

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 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	5. Rage! Fire and Thunder

**Hey, guys. Now I noticed that the previous chapters are not GaaSaku related. I just don't want to escalate to the part where they meet again. I want to make sure that their friendship develops and grow nicely as time progresses. Be patient, I'm working on it.**

 **Anyways, please read & review! :)**

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After the latest events that occurred in searching for Sasuke and the incident with Team 10, the tragic deaths of Asuma-sensei and Jiraiya-sensei. Most of all, Pain's destruction. Tobi lies in wait for the dark-haired ninja while he was heading for the leaf village.

"Hey, Sasuke," he called out.

Sasuke and the rest of Team Hawk stopped in front of him in puzzlement and confusion.

"His chakra came out of nowhere. What the hell?" Karin questioned suspiciously.

"Shit. Bad timing," Suigetsu remarked.

"How did you know where I was?" Sasuke asked the masked man.

"Don't underestimate me. It's within my powers," Tobi answered.

"What do you want with me now? Team Hawk is no longer part of the Akatsuki. We have no further use of you," Sasuke declared in annoyance.

"I said I'd have to kill you if you betrayed the Akatsuki and you broke your promise to me," Tobi reminded.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke questioned confusedly.

"The Eight-Tailed Beast," Tobi mentioned.

"But we found and brought him to you!" Karin reasoned out in frustration.

"It was a fake. In other words, you all failed," Tobi said and continued on. "The Eight-Tailed Beast pulled one over on you. I'm really disappointed in you guys."

"So what do you want us to do about it?! It's not our business anymore!" Suigetsu noted.

"No, you will finish your last job as part of Akatsuki. But I don't care about him anymore. There's something else I want you to do," Tobi instructed.

"What if I said no?" Sasuke asked dully.

"Then you'll have to fight me to get to the leaf village. I won't let you pass," Tobi stated.

"I'll force my way through, then," Sasuke uttered as he began to charge and attack him with his Chidori technique.

"It's a little late to go to the leaf village now. Your goal is useless. Too bad," Tobi remarked lightly after missing his strike.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke questioned curiously.

"The leaf village no longer exists," Tobi announced.

"What?!" Karin's eyes narrowed in shock.

At the same time, a huge plant rose out of the tree branch. "I'll explain."

"Who's that?!" Karin asked out loud.

"Calm down. He's with me," Tobi reminded and asks his friend beside him. "So who's the new Hokage?"

"Some guy named Danzo," the white-Zetsu said smiling.

"I thought as much," Tobi said surprisingly.

"Danzo is Hokage...?" Sasuke repeated in disbelief.

"That's right. He's one of the elders who drove your brother to do what he did. And now, he's the new Hokage," Tobi explained.

"What the hell happened in the leaf village...?" Sasuke asked softly. His eyes were starting to desolate, but he managed to spoke out firmly.

"One of my minions, Pain, destroyed it. But because you and Pain have made such a commotion, the five Kages have begun to move," Tobi answered.

"The Five Kages..." Sasuke repeated.

"They're holding a meeting. Again, I'll explain the rest," the White-Zetsu noted and began to vanish as he diverts himself back inside the tree branch.

Meanwhile, two shinobi from the hidden cloud village came to visit the leaf squad. Both of them had confronted Sakura and Naruto about the recent news of their friend's committed crime.

"Tell us everything you know about Sasuke, including his style and techniques. We need everything you've learned about Akatsuki and his allies," Karui demanded firmly.

"Y-you've got to be kidding me! How could Sasuke be a member of the Akatsuki?!" Sakura asked heatedly.

"God, you're so annoying! What is Sasuke to you anyway?!" Karui remarked snidely.

"I... I... He's my..." the pink-haired kunoichi suddenly started to break down and cry involuntarily with her hands covering her face.

"What're you crying for? I'm the one who wants to cry! Your crying won't bring Killerbee or Yugito back! If you've got time to cry, then tell me what you know about Sasuke!" Karui inquired impatiently.

"Wait a minute!" Sai said loudly.

"Huh?!" Karui was puzzled.

"Now that the order's been sent out to kill Sasuke, I'm sure the village will provide you with all the information you need. You don't need to pressure these guys for it," Sai noted softly.

"Yeah, they will! Our team leader's being briefed right now! We just thought we'd see if we could find out any more info!" Karui shouted.

"We can't just sit around! We don't know what happened to our master!"Omoi expressed angrily.

"You guys can't understand how that feels!" Karui pointed out, much to Naruto's annoyance.

He remembered the memory of Jiraiya's face, then he stared back at the two shinobi complaining and asks them. "Is your master a host?"

"How did you know?" Omoi questioned in shock.

"I'm a host too. The Akatsuki is going after all of us. This is my fight too. They want all the tailed-beasts, so your master may still be alive," Naruto explained.

"What?!" Omoi was stunned.

"Really?!" Karui was surprised.

"Yeah, you should try to rescue him before going after Sasuke!" The blonde-haired ninja informed wisely.

"Are you sure?! You really, really sure?!" Omoi asked for reassurance.

"Ugh. I told you. He wouldn't go down that easily," Karui said as she rolled her eyes.

"I'll help you guys find him. I'll tell you everything I know about the Akatsuki," Naruto said in agreement.

"Ah. You're smarter than you look, blondie. Tell us all about Sasuke too," Karui said smirking while holding out her katana.

"Naruto..." Sakura murmured softly.

"It's okay. Leave this to me," the blonde-haired ninja said, narrowing his eyes in determination.

In the middle of the forest, Team Hawk was still having a conversation about the incidents that happened in the leaf village.

"What?! Naruto?! This Naruto defeated Pain all alone?" Suigetsu queered as he raised his eyebrow quizzically.

"Yes. Indeed. He's gotten stronger. He's probably stronger than Sasuke now," the white-Zetsu pointed out with a wide grin.

"Heh! I don't care about that. The five Kages are the problem," the dark-haired ninja said.

"What're you going to do? The leaf village is gone. Danzo is your target, right? If he's going to be at the meeting, maybe that's where we should head," Suigetsu suggested and noticed that a few of his teammates were giving him a weird look, so he asks. "What?! Am I wrong?"

"We'll go to that meeting and kill the Kages. Our plans have changed," Sasuke said.

"Good," Tobi replied gladly.

"So where is this meeting?" Karin asked curiously.

"Zetsu. I'll lead you," Tobi ordered as he watches his friend split himself in half between black and white on two different sides of his body.

"Alright, follow me," he answered as he hopped out of the huge plant of his, whereas Team Hawk was coming along with him and travel through the forest trees.

"Can we trust them?" Jugo asked quietly as they were hopping onto the tree branches.

"Let's just see what happens. If he tries anything funny, I'll use Amaterasu on him. There's something I've been wanting to test out on lately," Sasuke stated.

Meanwhile back in the hidden sand village main entrance, the rest of the shinobi were saying their farewells and luck to the three Sand Siblings as they were about to head off to the summit.

"Be careful, Lord Kazekage," Matsuri called out with a smile.

"Kankuro, Temari. Please take good care of him," one of the jounin reminded with concern.

"We will," the ponytail-haired kunoichi said smirking.

"Not like Gaara needs bodyguards," the purple-faced ninja rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"Alright, let's go," the red-haired Kazekage said as he turns his back and began to walk on their journey.

It will be a long way, but they can manage to take the risks and meet the other leaders from four different countries. The meeting is going to become more serious than what they had all expected. Although, a little amount of time will take place where the wolf will come in a sheep's clothing.

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 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	6. The Conference

**Please read & review!**

* * *

Winter season at the summit was a bit cold for many people to travel, but they could care less if it was snowing. Every place has a different environment and weather conditions and that is part of nature itself. Some trees and plants grow and wither without harming each other. As for the lead and cloud shinobi, they have their own reasons.

"I will kill Sasuke. It's up to you to make sure it stops there!" The fourth Raikage confirmed.

"Ugh! You're so stupid!" Karui remarked.

"Is that it? We're in a hurry," Shee noted with his eyes closed.

"When you went after the Hyuga's Byakugan, the leaf village never did anything to retaliate. Your actions could have provoked a war, but we swallowed our bloody tears in order to prevent that. Don't forget that you exist because of our precious sacrifices," Yamato pointed out with his eyes narrowed at them.

"This young ninja before you may not be skilled at this, but he is begging you for the sake of both leaf and cloud. Raikage, as one of the Kages, what is your opinion of this?" Kakashi asked.

"A ninja should not be so quick to bow down before another! Ninjas respect actions and strength! There should be no compromise between the shinobi. The history of the human race is a history of war. Ever since the three great ninja wars, every country and every village has fought for the strongest techniques. The weak will be crushed. That is inescapable truth of the ninja world. Akatsuki will be internationally wanted criminals. Then, the whole world will go after Sasuke, not just me. You beg for mercy for a criminal, for the safety of your friends. In the ninja world, we do not call that friendship. Kid…. Think about what you must do. You won't get far in the ninja world if you keep acting so reckless," the fourth Raikage concluded with honesty after his long lecture and walked away from them, along with the rest of his guards.

Kakashi went beside Naruto, who was glooming silently on the snow ground.

"Okay, that's enough. Get up," he instructed quietly.

Meanwhile back inside the leaf village, Sai enters the huge tent where Sakura and Shizune were sitting down on the mat.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"Hm. Sai?" The pink-haired kunoichi looked at him in puzzlement.

"Sakura, I need to talk to you. It's very important," he said worriedly.

During that time at the summit, the conference meeting has begun where all the five Kages were now gathered around the table. They were facing at the front of the Moderator, who will be listening and discussing their opinions on the recent events that had occurred.

"I'll go first. Listen up," the red-haired Kazekage said with his hands gripped firmly together.

The makeup of the five Kages sure has changed. You must be something special to be made Kazekage at your age," Onoki answered impressively and continued on. "Your father must have taught you right, but apparently he forgot to instill in you any manners."

"I guess. That's why I'm here as Kazekage," Gaara stated.

"Hahahahaha! Cheeky brat!" The tiny old man laughed hysterically.

"Tsuchikage, please stop interrupting. Kazekage, please continue," Mizukage scolded lightly and urged the red-haired politely.

At the back of the curtains, Kankuro hissed annoyingly at the sight of the leader with a remark. "Jeez. Who does that old man think he is?!"

"Be quiet," Temari whispered.

"I'm a former host. Akatsuki captured me and nearly killed me extracting the tailed-beast. That's why I believe that the organization is extremely dangerous. I requested aid from the other Kages many times, but they all ignored me, except for the former Hokage. Though at this point, with so many jinchurikis captured, it's too late to save them," Gaara explained.

"Hmph… If a country has had its host captures, it has no business giving other countries orders. It's an embarrassment. You should have tried to recover it in secret. Once it's stolen, you cannot expect them to help you," Onoki reasoned out.

"Appearance, honor… I don't have time for that ridiculous old-fashioned thinking," Gaara commented lightly.

 _"_ _Hmph... Brat," Tsuchikage insulted in mind without saying it directly._

"Just because the tailed-beasts have been stolen is no reason to be afraid. It takes time and knowledge and skill to be able to control them," Mizukage said defensively.

"The hosts must grow with the beasts in order to adapt to them. Even then, control is difficult… It won't happen immediately. Right, Kazekage?" Tsuchikage said rhetorically.

"In any event, the only ones who can truly be said to have controlled the beasts are Madara Uchiha and the first Hokage, Hashirama. Maybe the fourth Mizukage, Yagura and Raikage's Brother Killerbee," Danzo stated skeptically.

"Quit your yapping!" The fourth Raikage shouted furiously as he banged his fist towards the floor, smashing the pieces.

The others were blocking the attacks from him to protect their leaders quickly without hesitation.

"Hey! We are here to talk about the Akatsuki, not making you guys provoke each other. Please refrain from such displays of rudeness," the Moderator scolded firmly.

"Stand down, Fu, Torune," Danzo instructed.

"You too, Kankuro, Temari," Gaara said.

"Ao, Chojiro. It's alright," Mei muttered gently.

The Tsuchikage, on the other hand, looked at his two guards and gestured them to go back to their spot strictly without saying a word to them.

"Okay," both of them understood and followed along.

"Leaf, Stone, Sand, and Mist… The Akatsuki is made up of missing ninja from your villages. That's not all," the fourth Raikage noted with his eyes narrowed and continued on. "I know that there are those among you, including the former Kages, who have used Akatsuki for their own purposes!"

"Used Akatsuki?" The red-haired Kazekage repeated in confusion.

"Ugh. I don't trust you. I had no intention of speaking with you. I called you all here to find out where your true loyalties lie!" The fourth Raikage pointed out angrily.

"What do you mean by 'used Akatsuki?'" Gaara questioned in puzzlement and shock.

"You're the Kazekage. Hasn't anyone told you anything?! Go ask your elders. You used Akatsuki in your own war," the fourth Raikage said.

"The great countries are enjoying a time of relative peace. They are moving from military expansion to disarmament. As tensions ease between the countries, the threat of war grows smaller. Military villages are a drain on a country's resources. But there's a risk. What if war suddenly breaks out?! They can't rely on untested ninjas in the heat of battle," the Tsuchikage explained theoretically.

"So one way of dealing with that was to use a mercenary force like Akatsuki?!" Gaara said, trying to figure out their motives.

"It would take time and money for a village to build such a force themselves. But Akatsuki were professionals and they could be hired for relatively little. Furthermore, they always had good results," Onoki concluded.

"I don't want to hear it," Raikage A said.

"Hmph."

"The Sand used the Akatsuki to try and destroy the leaf village with Orochimaru. It's unclear whether he was still a member of the organization at the time. Both the former Kazekage and Hokage ended up dying. I can't help but think that must have been part of someone's plan," Raikage A mentioned while he was glaring at Danzo sideways in thought. _"You old fox…"_

"Mizukage, you are the most suspicious. You have no diplomatic relations with the other countries and there are rumors that Akatsuki was formed there. To tell you the truth, there were suspicions that my predecessor, the 4th Mizukage was being controlled by someone," Raikage A pointed out directly at her.

"It could have been the Akatsuki, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Mei muttered as she stared down in a glum.

"You all-!"

"Watch your tongue, Raikage! It's because you were continuing to amass power and techniques during this time of disarmament that other countries were forced to hire the Akatsuki in the first place!" The Tsuchikage snapped back.

"What?!" Raikage A glanced at him in disbelief.

"Before this devolves into more infighting, there's something I wanted to tell you all," Danzo said quietly.

"What is it?" Raikage A demanded in a shout.

"The Akatsuki's leader is almost certainly Madara Uchiha," Danzo guessed in suspicion.

"I thought he was long dead since then…" Onoki mentioned.

"I don't understand it, either. But our source is certain," Danzo stated.

"I never imagined that he was literally a monster," Onoki remarked heatedly.

"As a neutral country, I have to say, the leader of Akatsuki read the signs of the times. He used the stability and the suspicion of the other countries to increase his own power. At this rate, even the land of iron, but there's always a silver lining. It's rare for the five Kages to come together like this. What do you say? Until Akatsuki is taken care of, what would you think of forming a Five-Country Alliance?" Mifune asked for their opinions.

"An alliance?!" Raikage A questioned in revulsion.

"It's a good idea. We're in a state of emergency. We have to cooperate," Danzo answered in agreement.

"The chain of command should be uniform. We want to avoid any further confusion," Mifune stated.

"So, the question is, who will have authority over this new army?" Onoki asked.

"You will only fight amongst yourselves, so I would like you to respect my position as a neutral party. I will decide who among you is best suited for the job," Mifune noted.

 _"_ _Now… Tsunade's time is over. I will finally take over," Danzo said amusingly in mind._

He definitely has his own plans. He certainly came from a bad tree, but he will eventually be facing only one person.

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 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	7. Newsflash

**There will be GaaSaku moments later on in the chapters. After this, the next one will be. :)**

 **Anyways, please read & review!**

* * *

"What…?!" Sakura was stunned at the moment.

"Yeah. He was protecting Sasuke while Karui was beating him up. Although, Naruto still didn't tell her about Sasuke and he told me not to tell you because he didn't want you to worry," Sai explained.

 _"_ _Naruto…" the pink-haired kunoichi stared off into space melancholy._

"He went to ask the Raikage to forgive Sasuke. It's probably useless, though," Sai said.

"Why would he do that?! Isn't Kakashi with him?" Shizune questioned in peculiar.

"Well, Kakashi has faith in Naruto. I think he wanted to give him a chance even if it's useless. I only became part of your team recently when I replaced Sasuke, so I don't really know everything that's going on. I don't really understand people, either. But I don't know what promises he made to you, Sakura. However, even I can tell that..." Sai paused to take a breath and directly stated. "That Naruto is in love with you!"

Sakura's eyes startled in astonishment and began to recall back the time where Naruto was making promises to her that he will do everything he can to bring back their friend.

 _FLASHBACK:_

 _"_ _I know you love Sasuke. I know how much you're suffering right now. I feel it, too. I swear I'll bring him back. I promise," the blonde-haired ninja grinned widely while he was recovering from his bruises._

 _END OF FLASHBACK_

Back in the present time, the pink-haired kunoichi was crying in grief with her tears streaming down her face.

"Sakura…" Shizune murmured softly as she looked at her sympathetically.

"Naruto's been shouldering that promise for a long time. I think he means to shoulder it for the rest of his life. I don't know what you said to him, but it's just like what's been done to me. It feels like a curse mark…" Sai stated quietly with a stern look, much to her shock. He continued on, saying. "Sasuke causes Naruto to feel more pain, but I also think you do as well…"

With that being said, Sakura stood frozen in her spot where she was traumatizing on what was happening to the team. Nevertheless, she was trying to gather her thoughts around.

Meanwhile, in the summit, Mifune has suggested that the five alliance would benefit everyone to fight against their upcoming enemies and protect everyone from danger.

"The only host left is the leaf village's Nine-Tailed Beast. I think it will be the key to all of this," he said strictly and asks. "What do you say? Will you allow the Hokage to lead?"

"What?!" Raikage A bolted upright from his seat in fury.

"Wha?!" Onoki exclaimed in disbelief.

 _"_ _No… This can't be good…" Gaara said in mind with his eyes narrowed at him._

"If you'll have me, I'd be honored to take the position," Danzo noted.

"Why him?! He is the embodiment of the darkness of the ninja world! We cannot trust him!" Raikage A pointed out.

"Then who?!" Mifune asked quietly.

"No one from our village is involved in the Akatsuki, so I am the only one trustworthy enough to-" Raikage A didn't get to finish his sentence as he got interrupted.

"I do not agree," Mifune refused.

"What?!" Raikage A questioned in confusion.

Mifune raised up his finger to point at where the outrage had ensued in front of the table and said. "It's true that some amount of emotion and power is necessary to lead so many strong warriors. But someone like you who lets his emotions control him will destroy the alliance as surely as destroyed that spot right there. I'm simply offering my suggestion as a neutral party. The Kazekage is too young to lead. The other countries will never accept it, even addressing him as a Kazekage is difficult for some."

Although, the moderator has good and clear points about each leader who cannot take the responsibility of leading every shinobi to form the five-country alliance. But they have to find someone who is capable and willing to take part, which is the only way to save themselves. Since Akatsuki are already making their move, they need to be completely aware of the fact that their next final target is none other than Naruto Uzumaki.

"It's only right that the Hokage should undertake this," he advised.

"Argh! I refuse to be part of any of this crappy alliance that would require my village to reveal its intentions," Raikage A argued in a growl.

In one of the leaf village's training grounds, the rest of the leaf squad were gathered in a circle where Ino was crying her eyes out while Choji was comforting her on her back.

"Quit crying, Ino!" Kiba scolded.

"Kiba, don't talk to her like that! Ino is hurt and of course, she still cares about Sasuke," Tenten retorted back defensively.

"What else can we do?! It's not like it was before!" Kiba reasoned out.

"Are you sure? If Ino's like this, Sakura and Naruto will also be the same," Shino pointed out.

"Let Shikamaru deal with it. He'll be able to explain. Besides, he failed in his first duty as a team leader. He must feel some responsibility. That's why he offered to go talk to them," Neji stated.

Everyone else was standing and wondering how their longtime friend could ever commit such crimes of even murdering someone from a different village. It wasn't even a surprise for Kiba and the others since they knew that this would happen at some point. The elders have been planning to eliminate Sasuke. However, for Sakura, her perception of him is beginning to shift.

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 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	8. Enemies

**GaaSaku moments will happen later on in the chapters. Thank you for your patience.**

 **Anyways, please read & review! :)**

* * *

The pink-haired kunoichi stood frozen on her spot in a few minutes as her tears had dried up upon her cheeks.

Shizune, on the other hand, decided to speak up, saying. "Naruto's not doing it just because he promised Sakura. He wants to save Sasuke himself, too."

"Of course, I think that too," Sai agreed and continued on. "But Sakura and the others, including myself relies on Naruto too much. Lately when I look at him, I've been able to feel it. His sadness. And when he thinks of Sasuke, there's a heat coming from his gut and I know that's anger. For Naruto's sake, for the hidden leaf's sake. We need to do something ourselves instead of always relying on him. Sasuke is-"

"Sai's right…" Shikamaru slightly opened the tent's cloth with a sincere look.

"Shikamaru," Shizune was surprised to see him, whereas Sai glanced over his right shoulder.

"We're not kids anymore. We will stop Akatsuki and we will stop Sasuke," Shikamaru stated and stared at Sakura's emotional state. But he decided to go on further. "I'm here to get permission from Team 7."

"Permission… You mean…?!" Shizune exclaimed in realization.

"That's right. We can't let war break out between the leaf and cloud because of Sasuke. This may be a little indirect, but bear with me. If the hidden cloud village kills Sasuke, you and the rest of the leaf squad won't stand for it. If you do something to get yourselves killed, Choji, Ino, your parents and I will want revenge too. The other side will want their revenge as well. If Choji and I get killed, this time our parents will get involved and it'll be all-out war. According to the messengers from the cloud, Sasuke is already being treated as an international wanted-criminal. If Sasuke keeps working with the Akatsuki, the hatred towards him will only increase. I think we need to take care of Sasuke ourselves. You get what I'm saying, don't you, Sakura? That's why I've come to ask your permission."

"Shikamaru… Please… Don't say anything no more…" the pink-haired kunoichi murmured softly as she continued to stare despondently on the floor. She breathes out and slowly wipes off the tear streaks away from both sides of her face.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. But regardless of your answer, I have to do this for the future of the leaf. I'm going to tell Naruto, too. Where is he?" Shikamaru asked in a demand.

"Naruto has gone to the land of iron to meet the Raikage," Sai answered.

"He's what?!" The leaf jounin leader repeated in astonishment and sighed. "This won't be as easy as I thought."

"I will talk to Naruto… The fool's in love with me, so let me do it," Sakura said determinedly and thought despairingly in a quiet tone. "I'm the one who's caused him the most pain. I've done nothing but make mistakes. I don't want to make another one."

In the meantime at the summit, Ao had discovered that Danzo has Shisui's Sharingan power in his right eye, much to his alarm.

" _That's what's going on?! The color of his chakras in his right shoulder and arm… No doubt about it. I fought him once. I'll never forget that color,"_ he said in mind, then he burst out of the curtains and pointed out directly with urgency. "Hokage, let me see the eye beneath those bandages!"

"What's going on?" Onoki asked in puzzlement.

"Apparently, his right eye was stolen from Shisui Uchiha and implanted. He had the power to get into this opponent's mind and control them. It's one of the most powerful eye techniques! His opponents wouldn't even realize they were being controlled," Ao explained.

"Hokage… Are you controlling Mifune?!" Raikage A interrogated him with a glare.

"My own right eye is a souvenir of my battle with a Hyuga, so I can't judge you on that account. But my right eye saw through the illusion placed on the 4th Mizukage, so you can't fool me," Ao stated to Danzo.

"You bastard!" Raikage remarked towards the Hokage as well.

Suddenly, the white Zetsu appeared in the center, much to the rest of the Kage's shock.

"Helllooooooooo!" He greeted gleefully.

"Now what?!" Raikage asked with his eyes narrowed at the creature angrily.

"Akatsuki?!" Danzo questioned.

"So it would appear," Onoki noted.

"Sasuke Uchiha is here somewhere. The question is where?" The white Zetsu asked and continued on to laugh hysterically. "Let's all search for him. Come on!"

"What?!" Raikage A yelled.

"Sasuke?" Gaara repeated in confusion.

"He-" Temari didn't get to finish her sentence after she landed beside his brother.

"What's he doing here?" Kankuro asked.

"The one with the Sharingan," Mei stated.

"The one who killed Haku and Zabuza?" Ao questioned even further to remember.

" _Sasuke's here? Impossible…" Danzo said thoughtfully in disbelief._

"Who's he?" Akatsuchi asked blankly while staring at the creature.

"A member of the Akatsuki, I'm pretty sure," Onoki said certainly.

Raikage A stepped forward and grabbed the white Zetsu's head firmly with interrogation. "Where is Sasuke Uchiha?! Answer me!"

" _He's… He's really fast!" The white Zetsu said surprisingly in mind._

"If you don't answer me, I won't go easy on you!" Raikage A threatened as he started grabbing him tightly on the neck.

"Oh, fine. I'll give you a hint," the white Zetsu said in amusement.

"Shi! Let's get started!" Raikage A commanded.

"Yes, sir!" He saluted.

"There's no reason to kill him. If you have captured him, you might have been able to get some intel on Akatsuki out of him!" Mei stated calmly.

"There's no one in the Akatsuki who would betray it. They're all hardcore," the red-haired Kazekage pointed out.

"Okisuke, Urakaku, give the order for everyone to search for Sasuke and to prepare for battle," Mifune instructed near his guards.

"Yes, sir!" Both of them responded in unison.

"You with the white eye! Keep an eye on the Hokage!" Raikage A commanded with a point of his finger towards Danzo and destroyed the wall using his powerful fist. "Shee! Darui! Let's go! We have enemies on the line!"

"Sorry about the table and the wall," Darui apologized as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Dude! Forget about that. Let's go!" Shee notified briefly.

"Good grief. How rude. He always was an unruly child. That hasn't changed since he became the Kage," Onoki said smirking.

"Everyone, prepare for battle and find the intruder Sasuke Uchiha. I want three teams guarding the entrance to the tower," Urakaku informed hastily.

Later on, Team Hawk was lurking in a dark widen room when Raikage A had shown up to fight against them. During their battle, A's immense physical strength allowed him to crushed Suigetsu's sword in half and fend off a fully transformed Jūgo.

" _This guy's so powerful!" Suigetsu said, clenching his teeth in a struggle and said._ "If I wasn't made of water, my arms would've been torn right off from that. Shit. My decapitation cleaver…"

"That probably happened because it got nicked back when we fought the eight tails," Jugo said.

On the contrary, Karin was still hiding in the top deck and noticed in thought. " _Good. Sasuke was saved. Nice job, Suigetsu!"_

"All of you, stop interfering," Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his two friends.

"Even though, I dragged myself over to save your ass. What the hell is with that comment? Though, that's just like you," Suigetsu remarked.

" _This isn't good… As it is, if I continue searching for Danzo, that Shee guy will find me for sure. It seems I'll need to hide my chakra temporarily," Karin planned in thought._

"Look, we are looking for where Danzo is. Guess we can't anymore," Suigetsu pointed out.

"The guy in the back is a detection-type. He has to be taken down," Jugo insisted.

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 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	9. Draw The Line

**Hey, guys! A few years ago, I used to listen and watch this GaaSaku AMV - Draw The Line. This mostly relates to how Sakura is conflicted with her feelings towards Gaara and Sasuke. The video credit is by oOoBrokenHeartsoOo.**

 **Anyways, please read & review!**

* * *

Against A's superior lightning-based technique, which is capable of nullifying even the Chidori.

On the other hand, Sasuke activated his and used an incomplete wrapped in the inextinguishable black flames of Amaterasu technique to defend himself from the Raikage's attack.

Back inside the conference room, the rest of the Kages were still shocked about the sudden action that the Hokage made using the power of his right eye beneath the bandages.

"Calm down. It's not a doujutsu that I can use whenever I like," Danzo stated.

"I'll be the one to decide that. You're not the kind of person that can be trusted," Ao pointed out firmly.

"I cannot believe that a Byakugan was leaked. If there was a traitor within the hidden leaf's Hyuga clan, they will have been killed immediately," Danzo said lightly.

"You're surely planning of disposing of me now that I know your secret. But don't think it will be that easy to do," Ao warned.

"When that time comes, I'll fight. Since the jutsu that manipulated the 4th Mizukage and that eye power, most likely have some connection between them," Mei muttered lowly.

"Hokage, ninjustu is strictly forbidden here. You have broken our trust and to think that even if you didn't play your hand, I would have likely chosen you anyhow," Mifune lectured.

"The fact that it was what troubled me. For the sake of protecting the shinobi world, I plan on using whatever means necessary. The world is meant to be united, just as the first Hokage, Hashirama, once gathered the clans to create a village. This time it is time to gather all the villages and unite them into a single shinobi world. Yet, in this meeting, there was no unification into one shinobi world. Nothing changes when we waste time doing things morally. All that leads to is the "Akatsuki" crushing the shinobi world," Danzo explained.

"It takes time for dreams to come to fruition. If you rush things, you won't be able to see your own surroundings and end up failing miserably, which is where you're at right now. Well, that dream is just a useless talk after all. Even if you have good intentions, the consequences of those actions would only give birth to distrust, ill will, and hatred. Danzo, right now I can't even trust on what you say," Onoki sighed with disappointment.

"Whether there is trust or not, the consequences are necessary…" he reasoned out.

Gaara, on the contrary, was thinking about what they can do in order to protect everyone from the dangers that the Akatsuki may bring. He thought about his childhood with his father deeply and spoke out, saying. "If that's what the world is, if that's what the people are, then there is no future left for us. Sharing with one another, trusting each other, if we were to stop doing those things, the only thing left in this world would be fear. Acting without taking into account the ethics of the situation, to the current me, would be akin to accepting that you've all given up."

"You sure express such difficult things quite simply. Yet, you still know nothing about managing a village, kid," Onoki remarked with a smirk.

"What the hell d'you say, old man?!" Kankuro questioned out loud with annoyance.

"Stop it, Kankuro! Even now, he's the Tsuchikage. He's the head of another village!" Temari prevented him from attacking the leader with her right arm held out.

"If there's anything you'd like to learn from us now, go ahead and ask. As your senpai, we'll be sure to answer everything, right Danzo?" Onoki asked with a chuckle.

"Then, I'd like to ask you one thing," Gaara said.

"Of course! I'll answer whatever you'd like to know, youngster," Onoki chirped with a grin.

The red-haired Kazekage paused for a moment as he continued to stare at the old man with sincerity and asks. "When did all of you forsake yourselves?"

Onoki reacted with a grunt in anger, feeling quite speechless.

 _"What an honest kid…" Mei said in mind while she was smiling at Gaara._

"Heh! Now then, Gaara, what are we going to do about this now? Sasuke Uchiha has fallen in the line with the Akatsuki. Even if we were to cooperate with the hidden leaf village and participate in the recovery mission, he still would be teamed up with them," Kankuro pointed out with his eyes narrowed.

"Hah. He sure got you there, old man," Kurotsuchi giggled.

"Shut up!" Onoki snarled.

"Tsuchikage, what are we going to do? Are we going to battle?" Akatsuchi interrogated in worry.

"You idiot! What the hell am I going to do if I throw out my back?!" Onoki glanced at him in irritation.

"I want to see Sasuke, the guy you said beat Deidara," Kurotsuchi said smirking.

"Do what you want! But if you get in the Raikage's way, you'll end up dead, so don't interfere," Onoki reminded sternly.

"Alright!" Kurotsuchi understood this and asks. "So what are you going to do, Akatsuchi?!"

"I can't go, in case something happens to the Tsuchikage's back. So I'll stay here with him," he answered.

"This can't be good. I'm having a bad feeling about this," Temari muttered softly.

"No shit. A few seconds later, we'll probably be ambushed by now," Kankuro remarked sarcastically.

Gaara, on the other hand, stared off into space as he was worried about his dear friend. From what he has heard before, Team 7 had the latest encounter with Sasuke, which wasn't a surprise to him. He knew that they would end up traumatized by the way of his nature. The red-haired Kazekage suddenly starts to recall back the moments of when he finds out about Sakura falling in love with Sasuke.

 _FLASHBACK:_

 _The blonde-haired ninja sat in silence with his eyes closed after un-clenching his fists and spoke. "It's sad to see how much pain Sakura is in right now. I don't like seeing her this way, especially after trying to let him stay and forget about his past."_

 _"Huh. That's one thing about love," Shikamaru stated tiredly with a sigh._

 _"Ah!" Naruto's eyes got startled at that word. "Wha-? How do you know?"_

 _"Hm? Jeez. What a drag. Do you really think I'm that clueless? I've known it since the beginning of our years in the Ninja Academy. During the preliminary rounds at the chunin exams, her fight with Ino was certainly an interesting competition," Shikamaru chuckled at the memory and complimented. "She is starting to grow."_

 _"Yeah. Her power-up is something special and unique that nobody can ever have..." Naruto said smiling, then frowned._

 _Shikamaru looked up at the ceiling and commented out. "You know. It's actually amazing at how much she managed to pull through. Very impressive. That's because of her-"_

 _"Feelings towards Sasuke," Naruto finished his sentence and continued on straightforwardly. "I know... I know how much she truly cares about him deeply. Sasuke is not someone who is just a plain crush to her. She sees him differently this time. Having a crush on someone depends on how you would either develop something for that person or not... Whenever something terrible happens to him, she gets easily concerned and has this some sort of affection towards him more than anyone could ever have."_

 _"You said it right. I don't know, but her being in love with Sasuke is dangerous," Shikamaru described thoughtfully and said. "Oh boy. It's quite sad when you know that someone you love suddenly leaves you hanging. By the way, it's never my intention to mock her what she's feeling. I know that she grieves. Sometimes, I wish I had the power to change Sasuke's mind to see what he's missing in his life."_

 _Naruto gave a nod as he narrowed his eyes off space in irritation, tightening his fists. "Yeah. It pisses me off though. I've told him about how Sakura feels towards him. But no... he just doesn't care."_

 _"Well, you can't do anything right now. You're still bruised up and your wounds haven't quite healed yet. But sooner or later, you have to ensure that you and Sakura have what it takes to bring your friend back. Like what Neji said, Sasuke is in darkness now and Sakura's love for him is definitely a highly intoxicated drug that she could not escape right away. In fact, she is suffering as you are," Shikamaru pointed out firmly, much to Naruto's sorrow. "Knocking her out unconsciously and leaving her in the bench like that out in a cold night? Yeah... That's love showing right there." He stated as he shook his head with a sarcastic tone._

 _END OF FLASHBACK_

In the present time, the red-haired Kazekage closed his eyes for a moment and said slowly. "Unfortunately, I have some other things to deal with. I cannot let this happen."

All of a sudden, he hopped out of the conference room as he left the others in shock and confusion.

"Huh?! Wait, Gaara!" Kankuro called out and followed his brother on the way out.

"I knew it!" Temari guessed correctly as she shook her head in dismissal.

Outside the hallway, the red-haired Kazekage started running at a fast pace without even stopping himself from going after the Uchiha. He never stumbled or tripped on his feet since he had been training a lot, aside from prioritizing his full-time duties as a Kazekage. He may have struggled along the way, but he managed to keep fighting for his loved ones, which he is now focusing on. He knew that His green jaded eyes began to form a troubled look and he couldn't help himself but feel the strange sensation coming from the other area in the summit.

"Gaara… If I may guess what this is about, I'll be right behind you," Kankuro called out as he catches up beside him.

"Yeah. You can't do this alone," Temari said softly.

"I know…" he trailed off of his words.

"Huh?!" Kankuro asked blankly in puzzlement.

"I know this may be the wrong decision to confront Sasuke… But he is going too far now. It's too much. I cannot stand seeing Naruto and… Sakura to feel disregarded," Gaara pointed out in disheartenment and continued on. "He's located in the right side…"

"Right," Kankuro and Temari nodded back in unison.

During that time, Raikage A had cornered Sasuke above him. Even though, the Amaterasu flames were an immune strike, A still managed to smash his defense using his own feet.

However, in just about a few seconds, the sand quickly stopped his attack from going further towards Sasuke, much to the others' shock.

"Sand?!" Raikage A questioned angrily.

"What?!" Sasuke was stunned as everyone turned around to look at the red-haired Kazekage, who had his arms crossed.

"Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari exclaimed while she was blowing her fan across the opponents.

"So these are the undying flames," Kankuro said smirking as he was controlling his puppet's moves.

"Stand back, Samurai. This is between ninjas. There's no need for you to lose your lives over this," Gaara commanded calmly.

"S-sorry, Kazekage," one of the samurai men apologized gently.

"Why have you interfered, Kazekage?! If I don't like your answer, I won't let you off easily!" Raikage A remarked.

"If you had continued to attack, the black flames would have harmed you even more. Besides, I want to talk to Sasuke Uchiha," Gaara said.

"Hmph!" Raikage A replied back with a grunt and glanced down at his left arm. He decided to slice it since the black flames were engulfing half of his lower arm and instructed. "Shee! Hurry up and stop the bleeding! I'll attack Sasuke as soon as you're done!"

"Yes, sir!" Shee responded back and was healing his wounds.

Gaara, on the other hand, was staring directly at Sasuke in which he took notice of him. "Your eyes are still the same. I told you, you have the same eyes as me. Eyes that long for power, filled with hatred and murderous intent. I can see it in you. Just like me before, you're itching to kill these who drove you to this hell called loneliness."

The red-haired Kazekage paused for a moment and warned. "I've realized that living for revenge doesn't solve anything. It's not too late for you… Don't escape into your own little world, possessed by hatred. You won't be able to return."

"So…? If I come back, what is there for me?" Sasuke asked coldly.

"Gaara, don't bother. If he could be convinced, Naruto would not have failed. He's a criminal now. A member of Akatsuki. He's not like you," Kankuro stated.

"Besides, Raikage and those shinobi who are harmed by the Akatsuki won't stay silent. By attacking the summit, he's guaranteed he'll be an internationally-wanted criminal. He has no future," Temari confirmed.

Gaara stood in silence as he was thinking about Sakura's smile and laughter that was filled with joy and love. Now, he sees the girl with a smile that was starting to fade. "Sasuke, you and I are alike. We have walked through the darkness of this world. That's why we are able to see even a sliver of light. Both back then and even now…"

"I have shut my eyes a long time ago. My only goal is in the darkness," Sasuke pointed out maliciously.

"Don't make this personal. You're the Kazekage," Kankuro hissed.

"Gaara…" Temari murmured softly.

The red-haired Kazekage looked up slowly with a tear slightly falling off from his left eye, saying. "Yeah. I know!"

All of a sudden, the sand burst out from his gourd to charge against Sasuke and attempt to strike at him beforehand. But the Uchiha was able to protect himself with his black flames.

"I can't believe I had to guard myself. I see your absolute defense is still alive and well," he said smirking.

The rest of the shinobi were battling against him using their own techniques at the same time. Unfortunately, Sasuke had summoned a gigantic Susanoo for his ultimate defense.

"Gaara. My shield is even more absolute than yours," he stated.

"Is that how he guarded against my attack?" Raikage A questioned.

 _"These chakras… This isn't the same old Sasuke. He's too cold…!" Karin said to herself in mind fearfully at the sight of him._

"Is this the power of darkness?" Gaara asked, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke's power.

"Is this the Mangekyo Sharingan?" Temari observed carefully.

"Uchiha… He's always hiding something," Kankuro pointed out.

"Darui! Sand Folks! Retreat!" Shee warned loudly.

On the contrary, Sasuke was controlling the Susanoo to bombard the structures of the wall. They were starting to crumble down into pieces, which alarms everyone.

"The pillars! The roof won't hold much longer!" One of the samurai men shouted in panic.

Gaara and A looked above the ceiling and noticed that it was also falling down into huge pieces of rocks. Although, the sand automatically covered them on top from being harmed, whereas Sasuke decided to leave his other friends behind, except Karin.

"Sorry, Kazekage…" Darui apologized.

"Looks like Sasuke took this opportunity to escape," Kankuro said.

"After him! Now! It looks like he's heading up above," Shee informed.

 _"Naruto… Sakura… What would you two have done?" Gaara asked softly in mind._

He tried to convince him to return back to his home, to his friends. But the Uchiha was already fallen into darkness and consumed by hate and vengeance. None of the others can put a stop on Sasuke because they never understood what he has gone through in his life. Only a few people know what he's been up to and how he felt at that time of losing his own family.

The red-haired Kazekage couldn't help but think about how Sakura is feeling after finding out about Sasuke's committed crimes. For certain, she was absolutely carrying a heavy heart.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	10. The Ambush

**Please read & review!**

* * *

When Sasuke and Karin had finally shown up inside the summit, the rest of the Kages were astonished to see their appearances. The Mizukage started to flirt with him, only trying to lure him in battle. Though, the others were fighting against the white Zetsu's technique and blockages.

"When did he do this?!" Mifune questioned heatedly.

"He must have used a time-delayed jutsu right before Raikage got him," Onoki said while hanging upside down.

"Shit… What is that?!" Sasuke asked as he moved away from the white Zetsu's body until he came to a realization when it contacted his left arm. "My chakras are being replenished…"

At that moment, he unleashes the power of Susanoo's hand to claw towards the other shinobi.

"Sasuke! Are you okay?" Karin asked out loud in concern.

"Looks like Mei is having a little trouble. Akatsuchi, shall we join the fight?" Onoki glanced at his bodyguard.

"YAAH!" He answered back and uses his wooden technique to cover the remaining of the Zetsu's defense.

"Hmph," Onoki grunted as he broke down the pieces of the ceiling that fell on the top of the conference table. As soon as he sees Sasuke in front of him, he decided to use one of his Genkai Jutsu to pulverize him in a gigantic cube of light, which made him disappear.

"Sasuke!" Karin cried out and stared off into space. _"His chakra is gone… No. It can't be…"_

"Of course they're gone. His body was smashed to smithereens and you're next, young lady," Onoki pointed out when he glanced over his left shoulder with his eyes narrowed.

Then, Gaara and Raikage A arrived back to see the chaos that ensued.

"Kankuro!" The red-haired Kazekage called out beside him to remove the spores around them.

"Where's Sasuke?!" The Raikage asked the tiny old man.

"I smashed him to bits," he smirked.

"What?! That was my job! How dare you?!" Raikage A chided.

"You still have a chance. So quit your whining, Raikage," a deep mysterious voice said, which startled everyone to look at where the person is with a mask.

He was currently holding the unconscious Sasuke over his right shoulder and introduces himself calmly. "My name is Madara Uchiha. I'm here to explain something to you and I just want to make that clear."

"What?!" Raikage A questioned.

"I want to tell you bout my goal, the MoonEye plan," Madara mentioned, much to the others' confusion.

"It appears that just as Shee said, the Hokage has fled!" Raikage A pointed out angrily.

"Yes… Thanks to Sasuke," Onoki remarked sarcastically.

Then, Madara decided to transfer Sasuke into a different dimension, using his sharingan technique from his right eye that was swirling into a circular motion.

"I have no interest in hearing the twisted plans of Akatsuki. I cannot understand you, people! Hand over Sasuke!" Raikage A crossed his arms defiantly.

"First, you listen to my explanation. I may comply depending on your answer," Madara ordered.

"Let's be calm about this, Raikage. Let's hear what he has to say, and make our decisions then," Onoki said gently.

"Tch..!" Raikage A huffed out.

Madara landed behind Karin and transferred her as well to heal Sasuke up for him.

"That must be his ability," Kankuro stated.

"Looks like time-space jutsu," Temari said narrowing her eyes at him.

"Now, then. It looks like you're all ready to listen, ladies and gentlemen," Madara hopped a step back on top of the wooden surface.

"Why is it that you seek to win Sasuke over?" Gaara asked curiously.

"A Sharingan that can activate even Susanoo is rare. I wouldn't want to let a nice pair of eyes like that slip through my fingers. In fact, I wanted to give him the opportunity to train them up further in combat with you Kages. It was I, who sent him here," he answered and continued on. "I would have liked to have him weaken you to the point where I could take you, hostage, as well. But it looks like that was too much to expect."

"Hostage? For what purpose?" Mei questioned suspiciously.

"Just to ensure that the mooneye operation plays out smoothly," Madara answered lightly.

"It certainly is a shock to hear that you, Uchiha, still lives. But why would a dead man of your calibre resort to these roundabout tactics? Surely with your power, you could accomplish anything you want," Onoki stated rhetorically.

"The wounds from my battle with the first Hokage, Hashirama, were too deep. Right now, I'm powerless. I'm nothing more than an empty shell of my former self," Madara said truthfully.

"So this 'operation' is for the purpose of returning you to your former self?" Shee asked further with a glare towards him.

"Well, that is one way of putting it. But that is not all that it entails," Madara noted.

"What are you plotting? What exactly is this moon-eye operation?" Mifune interrogated strictly.

"I would like to take my time with this tale. If you don't mind, I'll just take a seat," the masked Uchiha said gleefully.

"We're asking you what this plan of yours is!" Kankuro demanded out loud in anger.

Madara raised his index finger and told him to be patient, much to Gaara's annoyance. He finally opened his right Sharingan eye, saying. "To have everything become one with me is to achieve a 'complete form,' in which all are united."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock and figured that his plan for the shinobi world is completely absurd.

"One with you…? All united…? What does that mean?!" Onoki questioned with a glare.

"There is a stone monument passed down amongst the Uchiha for generations. Upon it is recorded the secrets the left to us by the Rikudou Sennin. Without our eyes, it is impossible to read. What's more, the mangekyo sharingan can decode more than the sharingan itself. The Rinnegan still more than that," Madara explained.

"Now, this is starting to get ridiculous. The Rikudou sennin?" Onoki questioned sternly.

"I speak the truth. The sennin existed and he left us this monument," the masked Uchiha stated.

"Enough of this dawdling! What has the Rikudou Sennin got to do with this plan of yours?!" Raikage A asked.

"Do you know why it is that he became the stuff of legend, worshipped by the shinobi world almost like a god? Therein lies the connection between that man and my goal," he explained.

"Madara Uchiha, you possess the Mangekyo Sharingan, and Akatsuki also possessed a man with Rinnegan. You must know everything that is inscribed there," Mei pointed out.

"Let's hear it," Onoki urged on.

"The Rikudou Sennin saved the world. Saved it from a monster," Madara said.

"A monster?" The red-haired Kazekage questioned quizzically.

"Gaara… You once played home to, but a portion of that monster. The monster in question was infused-form of all the One-Tailed. A being possessed of the ultimate chakra is the Ten-Tails," he concluded, much to everyone's shock.

"Surely, the beast's tails only go up to nine!" Temari argued back.

"As I said, it is fused form of all the ten-tails. The other beasts are nothing more than beings created from divided chakra of the ten-tails. By the Rikudou Sennin, of course," Madara said lightly.

"I don't like the way this is going. This is why Akatsuki are gathering the tailed-beasts?" Kankuro asked with his eyes narrowed slightly towards him.

"The Rikudou Sennin developed certain ninjutsu in order to protect the world from the Ten-Tails. Even now, the ninjutsu is being quietly passed down. The seal that creates a jinchuriki. The Rikudou Sennin was the tailed-beast jinchuriki in order to suppress its power, he sealed the Ten-tails into his own body…" Madara trailed off of his words and continued onto to tell the story of how the tailed-beast was putting mass destruction on the world, so in order to save the people, the Rikudou Sennin would put a seal onto it.

"This is all just too immense. Can a human being really accomplish anything like that?" Darui asked.

"As the jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, the Rikodou Sennin was already beyond what we would call human," Madara answered.

"So you are gathering those nine pieces of the scattered chakra. That is to say, all the beasts in an attempt to gain that beyond human power for yourself. But what do you mean to do with that power?" Mifune asked further on logically.

"I will cast my genjutsu upon all the humans living upon the earth's surface. Controlling all of humanity within that genjutsu, I will become one with the world," Madara replied back truthfully, which made everyone's eyes widened in fear and sudden dismay. "It will be a world without hatred or conflict. Everything will be one with me; everything united. That is my 'MoonEye Operation.'"

"To hell with that! I won't give the world to the likes of you!" Raikage A shouted in fury.

"A peace born of illusion is nothing more than a lie. Peace only holds meaning if it is created in reality," Gaara stated calmly.

"What do you expect us to find in such a world?! It would be devoid of hope, devoid of dreams! Nothing more than running from reality!" Mei argued back strongly.

"So you mean to unite the world…? That sounds similar to what Danzo was saying earlier. But it sounds to me rather than 'uniting the world,' both of you simply want to take it for yourselves," Onoki pointed out.

"Hahaha... Well, do you five Kages think you can do any better? Surely, you should all have realised by now. There is no such thing as hope! The concept of hope is nothing more than giving up. A word that holds no true meaning. Now, hand over the remaining eight-tails and nine-tails and cooperate with my plan. Otherwise, war will be upon us," Madara stated.

"War…?" The others questioned in puzzlement.

"The Eight-Tails? What is the meaning of this?! You already took-" Raikage A was confused and got interrupted without finishing his sentence.

"We failed in the recovery of the eight-tails. He escaped from our grasp. He has achieved true perfection as a jinchuriki and a shinobi. As might be expected of your own brother…" Madara said impressively.

"Ah… I knew it. I had a feeling it would be something like this," Darui nodded in understanding, whereas Shee sighed tiredly.

"That ungrateful little-! Unforgivably! Oh, he'll taste my iron claw! He used this whole damned affair to run away from the village and have fun somewhere on his own!" Raikage A shouted vehemently.

"I will not hand Naruto Uzumaki to you," Gaara stated.

"I concur!" Mei said.

"What you say, Raikage?" Onoki asked.

"I will not hand my brother to this man!" He decided.

"Very well, then. In that case, I hereby declare the fourth ninja world war," Madara said and continued on. "I'm not a fool enough to say a thing like this in jest. Next time we meet, it will be on the battleground."

With that said, he began to use his teleport technique to disappear out of their sight, leaving the Kages and the others to contemplate on what their plan should be before the war breaks out.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	11. Blossom's Predicament

**Please read & review**

* * *

Once Madara had vanished through his time portal technique, the Kages and the others are now wondering what they can do to prepare for war.

"Dear me… What now?" Onoki asked, sighing tiredly.

"We must form a shinobi alliance. There is no other way to oppose the power of the seven tails," Gaara stated.

"I recall you were against the idea, Raikage?" Mei asked, glancing at him in concern.

"It seems no harm has come to my brother. But I refuse to allow Akatsuki to have their way with us any longer! We form a shinobi alliance, and settle this as quickly as possible!" Raikage A instructed.

"What about the hidden leaf? The Hokage has fled the scene," Onoki mentioned.

"The dark rumours surrounding Danzo are too great. After what he did at the summit, he has lost all of our trust," Raikage A pointed out and continued on. "And if the shinobi of the leaf village learn of what happened here, his position will become strained. He will not last long!"

"I will pass on the news of this shinobi alliance to the leaf, a shinobi whom I trust," the red-haired Kazekage said.

"And that would be?" Raikage A urged him to go on.

"Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan," Gaara answered softly.

"The son of the White Fang?" Onoki queered in curiosity.

"Very well, then. He seems more trustworthy than Danzo, at least," Raikage A remarked.

"Sir! We must make arrangements right away to track down Killer Bee! If the Akatsuki's targets are the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, then they must still be pursuing Killer Bee with all their might," Shee reasoned out.

"Quite! Shee, select a search party at once, and contact the village so that they can begin the search at once!" Raikage A ordered strictly.

"Yes, sir!" Shee responded back.

"We should let the Team Samui know about this right away too. Omoi and Karui were seriously down about all this," Darui reminded.

"Should we not include the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails as a valuable part of our own military forces?" Onoki asked for suggestions.

"Unthinkable. Protecting them is a vital object of this war," Gaara answered and continued on to explain their situation. "I suspect the reason Madara has decided to start this war using the Seven-Tails he has collected is because in his current weakened state, and with the few Akatsuki members remaining to him, it would be too difficult for him to capture the Eight-Tails and the Nine-Tails. Even if he succeeded, the risks would be too high. He may be thinking of using this war to lure them out."

"I can certainly agree with that," Mei said.

"I agree with the Kazekage as well. Considering what it may lead to, we cannot possibly lay them out right before the enemy's eyes. At any rate, my brother is the Eight-Tail's jinchuriki. He is not the kind of man to follow any strategies we might prepare. Who knows what he might end up doing. He would only bring chaos to the battlefield," Raikage A pointed out.

"I would say the same for Naruto," Gaara said.

"Very well. Do you accept, then Tsuchikage, that we should consider the tailed-beasts jinchuriki to be retrieved, restrained, and protected?" Mei asked.

"Hm," Onoki replied in agreement.

"I will share our information on Killer Bee, with the Stone, Mist, Sand, and Leaf Villages. I suggest that search teams be organized and mobilised immediately. Once the Eight-Tails is found, I suggest that you send that information to me. I am probably the only person to whom my brother will actually listen," Raikage A informed and instructed. "And Kazekage, I trust you will handle the task of passing all this onto Kakashi."

"Yes," Gaara nodded in agreement.

"I met with Kakashi Hatake and the Nine-Tails jinchuriki on the way to the summit. They may still be somewhere in the Iron Country. We should begin our search for them from her," Raikage A suggested.

"Understood," the red-haired Kazekage said.

"E-erm. Could I ask something?" Chojuro asked shyly.

"What is it?" Raikage A urged.

"Well…Ah… You see…" Chojuro stuttered nervously.

"Spit it out!" Raikage A demanded.

"A-amongst the Akatsuki's remaining members is Kisame Hoshigaki, a member of the seven swordsmen like myself…" Chojuro explained and warned them about not underestimating the enemy since he is able to wield every bit as much power as jinchuriki using his own blade.

"We are quite aware of that. At any rate, is this all really acceptable? The power of the seven tails that Madara will be sending against us is a huge unknown quantity, even if we do secure both tails and protect them with force of our alliance. If that alliance is annihilated, it will all have been meaningless. That's why I say, it would be more advantageous to us if we were to sent the two of them in battle from the start, working alongside the alliance's forces," Onoki said theoretically.

"Are you sure about that?" Mifune asked and went on. "We see here before us the formation of the first ever true shinobi alliance. It's power too, is a huge unknown quantity. Madara himself is taking a great risk using the power of the seven tails in this way. If it were no risk, then he would not have gone to the trouble of coming here and attempting to negotiate. It would seem that the situation is not entirely in his favor. Furthermore, we Samurai, too will take part in this battle. Tsuchikage, are you still so worried despite all of this?"

"Hmph!" Onoki grunted with a huff.

Meanwhile back in the leaf village, the pink-haired kunoichi went to go for a change of clothes and attached the the cloak around her neck. She began to look in the mirror to see the emptiness in her eyes that was longing for hope. Tears was starting to form in the corners, but she managed to hold them back and sighed as she went back and forth to check her attire formally.

Sakura then remembered the moment back then where Sai had told her about Naruto's love her. Somehow, that part triggered her the most since she didn't have any idea that her friend was in love with her and would do anything for her; specifically bringing Sasuke back.

Though, she would not let that happen anymore because she cares about Naruto's well-being. Even if it means by going against their friend.

" _All I can do right now is try to convince Naruto… This is my only chance of saving him…" Sakura said desperately in mind as she quickly flipped her hair after tucking in her light pink scarf around her neck._

As soon as she left her house and informed her parents about her departure, they told her to be careful on the way out with her friends. Of course, the pink-haired kunoichi understood this and knew that she's still in a difficult situation.

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 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	12. Kazekage's Thoughts

**Hey, guys. This chapter contains some flashbacks and recent ones about Gaara and Sakura. Mainly, it focuses on Gaara's perspective. Anyway, please read & review!**

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While the rest of the shinobi and samurai headquarters were moving at a quick pace to inform the others, Kankuro and Temari stood behind the cracked wall far back in the corner of the room as they began to discuss quietly about the rumors of Sakura and her friends attempting to confront Sasuke. Although, they were both unsure that the pink-haired kunoichi would not do such drastic changes in a plan to kill him. After all, her feelings hasn't changed, and that is what they were very concerned of.

"Oh, jeez. Kankuro… I'm hoping that those things are not closer to the truth," Temari whispered in a hush tone of irritation.

"What do you mean? Tem, that is what the others have told me. You can go on ahead and ask Sai yourself," Kankuro clenched his teeth annoyingly in a hiss.

"Ugh. Seriously? Honestly, that guy couldn't keep his mouth shut. Even so, he has also told Sakura that Naruto is in love with her. Can you believe that?" Temari murmured as she shook her head in disbelief.

"No shit. It wasn't a surprise at all because you can tell that Naruto's a little bit obvious about his feelings, no matter how lowkey he gets. I mean, him and Sakura are very close to each other and almost as best of friends," the purple-faced ninja stated.

"Hm… How much perilous move is she going to make? I'm telling you right now if none of us are going to be there to stop her, then who else will?" The pony-tailed haired kunoichi asked logically with a stern look on her face.

"Naruto will! Okay, there's no need to worry so much about it. Trust me, that guy knows what he's doing and besides, this is Team 7's problem. We cannot let ourselves get involved in their situation. Otherwise, things will get worse than you think. What I'm saying right now is that we can only help them," Kankuro explained quietly.

"Alright. In what way?" Temari questioned further for a better answer.

"It depends on the situation. Either way, we can still watch over them using one of my miniature spy puppets," the purple-faced ninja shrugged off with his lips thinned neutrally.

"If all else fails?" The pony-tailed haired kunoichi urged him to say the evident solution.

"Then, we fight," Kankuro concluded with a smirk.

"Right," Temari said determinedly with a nod.

"But remember, it's best not to underestimate the Uchiha since he has gone through some experiences and training," the purple-faced ninja pointed out.

"Of course not… Sasuke is very ambitious now, compared to what he was in the past…" the pony-tailed haired kunoichi muttered sadly at that thought.

"Well, people changed, do they?" Kankuro said rhetorically.

"Hmm. We are lucky, you know that. Without Sakura and Naruto being there for Gaara, he would still be the same as he was before," Temari sighed tiredly.

"That's the thing about friendship. We look out for one another, we fight for one another, and we protect one another. But Tem… What if it's more than that? We both know what Sakura's true feelings are, right?" Kankuro asked curiously.

"Assuming that we do, yes… Gaara already knows that she's in love with Sasuke. These things are so complicated like my brain is starting to melt," Temari shook her head as she groaned.

"Yeah. You know what, I'm also not surprised that our little brother already has a girlfriend, given the fact that we had a conversation about that girl Katsumi… She's not what he thinks she is," the purple-faced ninja commented.

"I dislike her from the first time that I saw her. But we cannot discuss about her in here, Kankuro…" the pony-tailed haired kunoichi whispered in a warning.

"Why not? I mean, that bitch always give me weird vibes," Kankuro remarked nastily as he whistled a tune.

Temari suddenly whacked him on the shoulder with her small fan and hissed. "Quiet! Jeez. If you call her that, we will get in trouble for that. Plus, Gaara loves her."

"Pffft. Are you sure about that? Come on, let's all not be in denial," Kankuro snorted with reassurance.

Temari stood in silence and pursed her lips in thought, saying. "I don't know… But I still remembered the time where I had this feeling that Sakura's feelings have changed and maybe somehow transferred them towards him…"

"You're not wrong. We both know how she has mixed emotions and she's doing the best she can to figure them out and that him who you just mentioned now… Yeah… She finally realized who she should've been with all this time," Kankuro nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. Anyway, let's get back inside and see what the others are up to. We have to make sure that this conversation is between us only," Temari instructed carefully.

"Right," the purple-faced ninja agreed as they both started to head back inside the conference room.

However, they were both unaware of the fact that a third eye was watching them closely without being noticed. The other sand clone is indeed sitting down in the chair at his office after he had listening to everything that his siblings had said about the situation.

His whole body began to dissolve in a swirl of sand, whereas the real red-haired Kazekage was standing calmly in his spot and tilt his head down a little in his thoughts of his best friend's fading smile.

" _Sakura…"_ He said softly in mind as he then started to reminisce the previous moments back that he had with the pink-haired kunoichi and their friends.

 _THE FIRST FLASHBACK:_

 _"Gaara...?" Naruto voiced out in a minimum tone._

 _The fifth Kazekage glanced at his left shoulder and recognized him and Sakura with his eyes wide open. "Naruto and..."_

 _"Hi..." The pink-haired kunoichi said softly._

 _"Sakura. Nice to see you again," Gaara smiled gladly in relief and introduces the girl on the right. "This is my long time friend, Katsumi."_

 _"Hi, are you guys dating?" The dark brunette girl asked grinning._

 _Naruto and Sakura chuckled ridiculously at that statement._

 _"That's funny, we never dated," the blonde-haired ninja said, shaking his head in disbelief._

 _"Yeah, to think we will," the pink-haired kunoichi remarked calmly._

 _"I see. Well, just to let you know that Gaara and I are on a date," Katsumi replied with a giggle._

 _"A Date?" Sakura asked frowning while staring at the red-haired Kazekage._

 _"Obviously, but isn't that more of a discussion, just like what Kankuro and Temari mentioned?" Naruto questioned further at his friend._

 _"Yes... It is," Gaara said quietly and stared at the pink-haired kunoichi, checking to see if there's anything wrong._

 _"Hm. It's a friendly date for now. Um, shall we continue to discuss our issue?" Katsumi asked smirking._

 _"Sure. Anyway, I will meet you guys later tonight after the dinner," the red-haired Kazekage noted._

 _"You got it, Gaara," Naruto grinned happily and continued on. "Man, it's good to see you well again. We both missed ya, right Sakura?"_

 _"Haha... Yeah. Indeed," the pink-haired kunoichi said still smiling and nodding in agreement._

 _END OF FLASHBACK_

 _THE SECOND FLASHBACK:_

 _During the dinner celebration, everyone at the table were laughing, cheering, and chattering with the red-haired Kazekage. They've been asking him some questions based on his life._

 _"So Gaara, what's it like to be the leader of your village?" Kiba asked grinning._

 _"Yeah! Anyone praising you? You've finally managed to earn the highest title, now that you achieved your dream. A lot of strength and good will you put yourself in," Lee bowed his head down and saluted as usual._

 _"Yes, indeed," the red-haired Kazekage agreed._

 _"Gaara has gone through a lot of experiences and hardships in his life. But here he is. My little brother has made it," Kankuro wrapped his left arm around Gaara's shoulder when everyone was clapping._

 _"Man, there aren't any barbecues left. I'm starving!" Choji groaned sadly as he rubbed his stomach._

 _"Jeez. Will you relax? The food will be here soon, so quit whining," Ino placed her hand upon her cheek, rolling her eyes in exasperation, then took a sip of her drink. On the other hand, a few of them had laughed at that._

 _"Are you always that hungry?" Temari asked chuckling._

 _"Yep. That's Choji for you. If you ever call him the word 'fat,' he will certainly burst out in rage," Shikamaru pointed out quietly while covering the side of his mouth with his hand._

 _"Oh..." Kankuro and Temari understood this in unison._

 _"Any news from Sasuke?" Gaara asked blankly._

 _"Well, not really However, from what I've heard from Lady Tsunade, it seems that the ANBU Black Ops are doing their best to locate his current whereabouts," Neji said in speculation._

 _"Naruto has been training a lot these days with one of the legendary sanins; Jiraiya. He may even return back here as stronger than before," Shino predicted correctly, pushing his sunglasses upward his nose._

 _"Yeah. I can't wait until he gets back because he and I are going to fight one on one. Now, that is the deal," Kiba boasted proudly in a huff as his dog, Akamaru, barked in agreement._

 _"Oh, please. He'll probably beat your ass in just a few seconds. Don't flatter yourself," Tenten noted as a matter-of-fact, which made everyone burst out laughing._

 _"Damn. Even his Rasengan technique will be much more effective than your Fang-Over-Fang," Choji laughed hysterically, pointing his finger at him._

 _Kiba flared his nostrils in annoyance, looking away from them with a pout. "Hmph!"_

 _"Hah. I'm sure when Naruto comes back, he will be even more surprised that all of us have slightly changed, especially, you Gaara," Shikamaru smiled genuinely at him._

 _"What if he and Sasuke all come back? Do you think they will start their feud again once they meet? Think about it. That would be like the worst kinds of war you will see," Kankuro said in suspicion._

 _"I don't think that's possible," Hinata answered without a single stutter._

 _"No. Although, it depends if either the two of them made a contact or an unexpected encounter," Neji said thoughtfully._

 _"Tsk. I don't know. That Uchiha guy has become a total stranger and a nuisance now. Aside from Naruto, he would do anything to bring him back no matter the cost," Kiba whistled when he puts his arms behind his head and leaned back on his seat._

 _Suddenly, the pink-haired kunoichi accidentally cut the skin of her hand and banged her tight fist on the table, flipping the fork and knife all at once until it landed through the lobster, much to everyone's startle._

 _"Sakura..." Lee murmured softly and asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"_

 _The pink-haired kunoichi ignored him, not even trying to answer his questions as she quickly stood up from her chair and stepped outside from All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet restaurant._

 _At the same time, the leaf squad was muttering to each other, whereas Kankuro and Temari silently looked at each other sadly. Gaara, who witnessed the commotion, decided to get up from his seat and go after his best friend._

 _Shikamaru and the others were watching him walk away from their table and knew that he is going to talk to her about the problem she was still having._

 _"I guess mentioning Sasuke really does hit you on the spot, does it?" Shikamaru said rhetorically with a sigh._

 _"No, shit. Even the information about him makes my stomach churn," Kiba remarked and continued on sarcastically._

 _Kankuro narrowed his eyes and rolls them, retorting back defensively. "That was never his intention, though. Don't accuse Gaara like that."_

 _"Guys, come on. Let's not argue in a place here," Tenten frowned as they all stared at the food on the table._

 _Outside the building, Sakura was staring off into space, reflection upon the moments that she has had with her teammates. Her emotions began to stir up and she couldn't help when a single drop of tear fell out from her eyes._

 _"It still pains you," the red-haired Kazekage stated in a low tone of his voice and slowly approach beside her._

 _"Yeah... I'm used to it," the pink-haired kunoichi answered as she carefully wiped her tear._

 _"I'm sorry," Gaara apologized sincerely._

 _"For what?" Sakura asked in puzzlement._

 _"Bringing him up into our conversation earlier. I know that you still love Sasuke since he's always there in your mind and in your heart. He may fallen deeply into darkness and having himself consumed by vengeance, hate, and anger. But in spite of all, he is still a good person because..." the red-haired Kazekage didn't get to finish his sentence when the pink-haired kunoichi wrapped her arms around him, seeking for comfort as she continues to sob. He stares at her painfully when he began to slowly embrace her. From that moment on, they stood frozen on the spot for a few minutes until they broke free from their hug._

 _Sakura sniffed while her tears were still streaming down her face, saying. "I still couldn't handle the fact that he's gone... Without him, I'm always falling apart."_

 _Gaara looked down and brought her face to look in his eyes, replying hopefully. "But Sakura... You have your friends, you have your family. Yes, you have feelings and that will never change. Time is always everything. Treasure it, even in the good and the bad. As your dear friend, I will be right here." He paused when he lifted her wrist gently, pointing directly at her sand bracelet and continued on. "You see this? This is how important you are for all of us. I'm not telling you to give up on Sasuke. But for your sake, I'm telling you to give yourself a break from him... Will you do that? For you?"_

 _Sakura became speechless and nodded silently._

 _"Good..." Gaara's lips curled graciously as he wipes every tear that she was crying for. "It's alright to miss him. It hurts me to see you in pain all the time. I just want you to be happy and I will do everything that I can to help you because I care about you."_

 _The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes was glistening contentedly and said with a sad smile. "Thank you, Gaara. I really appreciate that." She hugged him so tight that she wouldn't let go of her best friend._

 _"No problem," the red-haired Kazekage replied, much to everyone's admiration towards the young two friends._

 _END OF THE SECOND FLASHBACK_

 _THIRD FLASHBACK:_

 _Meanwhile in the hospital room, the nurses and doctors were stuck in the corner of the room while protecting their patients from harm. The pink-haired kunoichi was still throwing chairs around and keeps breaking the tables and trays using her strong hands._

 _"Arrghh!" She snapped them in half with her left and right knees up and boomerangs the pieces on the wall._

 _"Miss Haruno! Please, don't scare them-" One of the medical nurses pleaded sadly._

 _The pink-haired kunoichi turned her head slowly at her with a malicious glint in her eyes. She then quickly grabbed the Comedone extractor and pops out the metal cap off onto the floor, much to their horror._

 _Before she started to throw it at her like a dart, the sand blocks her attack just in time before it almost stabbed one of the nurses in the chest. Everyone froze into their spot and glanced around to see who it was._

 _"Lord Kazekage!" One of the doctors exclaimed in relief._

 _"Sir!" The nurse cried out in panic._

 _Gaara, on the other hand, was staring at the pink-haired kunoichi with his eyes narrowed, saying. "I'm disappointed in you."_

 _Sakura's eyes glowed bright red and growled angrily when she attempts to charge towards him. "Grrraaaahh!"_

 _Although, the aura that was surrounding her had quickly vanished into thin air of dust. She suddenly started to collapse when her foot tiptoed upward until Gaara catches her from falling onto the floor._

 _"You two... I need you to come with me," the red-haired Kazekage ordered sternly as he carries the unconscious pink-haired kunoichi up in his arms tightly._

 _The doctor and the nurse nodded in agreement without saying a word and followed him out of the room later on._

 _"Just what happened to her?" One of the patients asked nervously._

 _"I have no idea... She suddenly lost control. She's probably sick..." The doctor muttered quietly in concern._

 _END OF THE THIRD FLASHBACK_

 _FOURTH FLASHBACK:_

 _After the Mission to the Hidden Sand became successful, Naruto and the others couldn't help but be proud of their hard work and team effort._

 _"Gaara... There's something I need to tell you privately," Sakura muttered nervously beside him with her hands folded tightly together._

 _"Hm. What is it?" He asked softly as he glanced at his right shoulder to stare at her._

 _"I know that these past few days made me act so strange lately. Since I've finally realized that I've been having these thoughts, I just want to let you know that I-" the pink-haired kunoichi looked down shyly, then raised her head up, but got interrupted._

 _"So Gaara, what are you going to tell us?" Shikamaru asked clearly as a reminder._

 _They all stopped talking and stood in silence. They began to look at the red-haired Kazekage directly in puzzlement as they were waiting for him to speak up._

 _Naruto was blinking his eyes and raises his left eyebrow quizzically without saying anything until they all heard a voice calling out in excitement._

 _"Gaara... Boo!" The brunette was running towards the group and she quickly wrapped her arms around him and giggled in delight._

 _The red-haired Kazekage reciprocated as he embraced her, much to the others' surprise. "I'm glad you showed up." He then turns around to look at his friends and declare. "Everyone... I have news... Katsumi and I are in a relationship."_

 _Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he dropped his jaw in awe, saying. "Ehh?! That's... That's great, Gaara! Congratulations!"_

 _"Woah. That's it. I'm happy for you, man," Shikamaru said smirking with a nod._

 _Kankuro and Temari looked at each other in the corner of their eyes as their smiles were beginning to falter._

 _"Yeah...! That is wonderful news!" The purple-faced ninja said, clenching his teeth in annoyance. Then, he got elbowed by Temari, who was giving him a warning look._

 _"Anyway, yeah. That's great. Congratulations, Gaara," the ponytail-haired kunoichi said genuinely._

 _"Yay! Ahh," Katsumi jumped a little for joy and hugged the red-haired Kazekage adoringly as she kissed him on the right cheek._

 _Sakura, on the other hand, was staring at the couple holding hands together, which made her heart drop a little. Her eyes were glistening wistfully but still managed to smile, saying. "Congratulations... Gaara and Katsumi."_

 _"Thank you," the red-haired Kazekage nodded happily towards her as he was holding Katsumi's hand while they were having a moment with each other._

 _"Anyway, guys. I got to go now. I've been exhausted, so I need a lot of rest... Goodnight," the pink-haired kunoichi said firmly with a wave as she turned around, not looking back at them._

 _END OF THE FOURTH FLASHBACK_

 _FIFTH FLASHBACK:_

 _Two weeks ago, Sakura had visited her friends at the hidden sand. During those days, she was always working on her side missions in order to gain full experiences as a kunoichi._

 _On top of the Kazekage tower as the sun was setting on the warmest afternoon, the two friends were chilling out while leaning against the deck railing. The conversation between them was starting to get a little more serious when the pink-haired kunoichi had asked the red-haired Kazekage with a question._

" _So… You and Katsumi…? How long have you guys known each other?" Sakura looked down at the view of the village and watch the other kids playing and people passing by the building._

" _Yes. For eight years. She was someone I've met right after the chunin exams and how I've went through a good change of myself. Thanks to you and Naruto," Gaara said smiling._

" _I see… You didn't thought about not telling me right away… Not a single letter?" The pink-haired kunoichi said softly._

 _The red-haired Kazekage glanced at her quickly and said chuckling. "Well, I've been busy with a lot of paperwork, duties, and conference meetings. You know that, right?"_

 _Sakura's eyes glistened back and forth nervously and decided to let her emotions out. "I do know. But I'm a little upset that you haven't informed to me about this earlier. Why did you kept this secret from me? Why haven't you told me soon? Even Naruto and Shikamaru were wondering what is happening with your love life."_

 _Gaara stood up straight and looked at her directly with his eyes narrowed slightly in a little indignation, saying. "Now that is none of your concern. I choose, whether or not, to keep my life in public or private."_

 _The pink-haired kunoichi got startled in shock and paused for a moment. "So… you're telling me that you care more about your reputation than letting your friends know more about you…?"_

" _No no… Sakura, that is not what I'm implying. I'm trying to say is that a person's life should be respected enough if it's private or not. My relationship with Katsumi is something I would never let go of…" the red-haired Kazekage explained clearly._

 _On the other hand, the pink-haired kunoichi's eyes was staring strongly towards him and was breathing unevenly without stopping herself from raising her voice._

" _Your relationship is more important than your friends…? Is that what you're also trying to say. Tell me, Gaara. When was the last time have you told me your secrets? It's been a long time, right?" Sakura repeated and emphasized angrily._

" _I could say the same thing with your feelings towards Sasuke… When was the last time have you told me your secret…?" Gaara asked the same question, much to her surprise._

 _The pink-haired kunoichi started to blink her eyes when her tears started to form in the very corners. She holds them back and questioned him. "Why does that matter to you?"_

" _That is exactly my point as well…" The red-haired Kazekage pointed out while he was staring at her coldly and continued on harshly. "I do not understand why you suddenly have the right to dictate my relationship with Katsumi and resent… I know your love for Sasuke will never change and I've respected that. I do, Sakura… Now, it seems to me that you hate us because of what we have. You hate what you don't have and that is Sasuke. I hope, one day, you will realize that he is far off from being back to normal-"_

 _A sudden loud slap was made throughout the surface, whereas the wind was blowing across their faces. The two of them stood frozen on their spots after the pink-haired kunoichi had stopped him from going on further with his explanation._

 _Sakura was breathing heavily as she dropped her right hand onto her side. Though, she began to cry uncontrollably in silence, saying hoarsely. "You have no idea what he's going through… I'm sorry, but I don't think our friendship is going to work. It's over…"_

 _Gaara looked down emotionless, but managed to stare back at her and said bitterly. "I certainly agree…"_

 _The pink-haired kunoichi looked at him in disappointment and shook her head while she was covering her entire face, sobbing and left him as soon as she started running away._

 _The red-haired Kazekage was watching her leave, which made his heart drop and not knowing what to do with what had occurred._

 _END OF THE FIFTH FLASHBACK_

In the present time, the red-haired Kazekage curled up his fists tightly and decided to listen to the other Kages' plans for the war.

Nonetheless, Gaara's certainty of going after Sakura will not change his mind. That's when he realized that he was starting to lose her.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	13. Fake Love

**Hey, guys! I will be making AMV for this pairing and will publish it soon in this chapter.**

 **Anyways, please read & review!**

* * *

The Iron Country has never alter its own season and always snows throughout the decades. Never has it been spring, summer and fall. At that moment, the blonde-haired ninja was currently in meditation mode while he was sitting outside the wooden terrace.

" _If I just keep on as I have been doing, I'm never going to find Sasuke. It's sennin mode that I need to use. First, I should work on extending how long I can hold it for," he said calmly to himself._

"Naruto! Come back inside already!" Yamato called out loud.

"Hm?" The blonde-haired ninja got startled when he sense a few presences of his friends waiting down on the ground. He quickly got up and made a slight approach.

"There you are! Finally!" Kiba exclaimed in relief.

"Sakura! Sai! Kiba, and Bushy-Brow!" Naruto said surprisingly, but solemnly.

"Why are you all here?" Kakashi asked in curiosity.

"Naruto… There's something we have to talk about. Something that you should know," the pink-haired kunoichi stated softly, much to his puzzlement.

During the day back in the summit, the Tsuchikage was asking for any volunteers, regards to leading the shinobi alliance.

"We need a qualified leader among us. Anyone want to take the opportunity?" Onoki asked, glancing around at the others.

"I think having Raikage take up the responsibility is the best option," Mifune suggested.

"Didn't you say that he was unqualified because of his emotional nature and reliance on strength?" Onoki reminded.

"There's no question when we consider that the 8-tails is still alive. Raikage is also more composed than he was earlier. What I said earlier was hasty… Please forgive me," Mifune uttered and continued on. "Also, as you all cooperated earlier, our counterattack was swift. Furthermore, the Eight-tails, which will be the key to success, can only be controlled by Raikage."

"Mizukage, Kazekage, are you two alright with that?" Onoki asked for reassurance.

"This is no time to be arguing here. I'll trust Raikage," Mei said concernedly.

"Let's entrust it to the Raikage," Gaara confirmed.

"Onoki of the Scales, as the only one who has fought with Madara, your information is indispensable," Raikage A stated grimly. "Cooperate with us!"

"You're talking down at me like you're giving orders, same as ever," Onoki pointed out.

"You don't have to believe in me. But at this rate, the shinobi world as we know it will end. We've got no choice to put aside our self-interest and cooperate!" Raikage lectured logically.

"It's better than losing the war, I suppose. Now what is your decision?" Onoki asked.

"Alright. If you all voted for me, then I guess I'll take this as a consideration," Raikage A nodded in understanding and agreement, much to everyone's gladness.

"The Shinobi Alliance is hereby formed! We've got to tell those damned fellas first, though," Onoki mentioned with a smirk.

"Right," they responded back in unison.

"Okay, okay. We should all start working, then," Kankuro called out confidently, whereas Remark nudged him on the shoulder to keep quiet.

"Shh. You are not the one to dictate, so let the leader do the talking, remember?" The ponytail-haired kunoichi clenched her teeth as she laughed nervously.

"From now on, we have to all separate and plan another meeting, sometime around next week. Anyway, let's all go home first," Raikage A instructed gently as he can without raising his tempered voice.

As soon as the rest of the Shinobi and Samurai started to exit the conference room, the red-haired Kazekage was still standing on the spot, which made his siblings curious.

"Uhh… Gaara, are you alright? Are we going now or what? What's in your mind?" Kankuro took a little peek at him.

"Yeah. Tell us…" Temari murmured blankly.

The red-haired Kazekage tilted his head down a little, closing his eyes for a moment of concentration and began to reopen them. He slowly speak out in a deep concern. "Let's go and find Sakura…"

Kankuro and Temari's eyes widened in surprise and confusion.

"What?! Why?" His older sister questioned in peculiar.

"Just follow my lead," Gaara answered simply without looking at them directly as soon as he started to leave the room as well.

"Okay…" she said softly until she and Kankuro realized that something serious must be happening.

In the meantime, the pink-haired kunoichi was staring gently at Naruto's eyes and took a few steps forward slowly. The rest of the leaf squad are waiting to see what she was about to tell him. For all they know, they remembered that they cannot say anything, except her.

"Naruto… I know that these past few days have been awful lately. But I just want to say that I love you…" The pink-haired kunoichi said smiling, much to everyone's shock and continued on. "I love you because I care about you. You've become my best friend ever since and I cannot stand seeing you chasing after Sasuke. I don't think we can be more than friends. Our friendship is valuable than us having a relationship, of course. I didn't came all the way here to confess to you because I don't want to lie to you. However, I'm obviously telling you that it's best not to go after him and forget the promise that we made. Don't do this for me anymore, Naruto. You've suffered enough…"

Kakashi nodded in agreement silently as he and the others were watching them discuss the issue.

The blonde-haired ninja sighed tiredly and said sadly. "But Sakura… This is not about the promise. I know your feelings towards Sasuke is still there and nobody will ever replace that. As a friend, I care about you and him. And even if it means bringing back Sasuke will make things right and be back to the way it was. He was not just my rival, my friend. He was also like a brother to me."

"I know, but what if he doesn't come back…? What if Sasuke already made his choice to stay in that path and be that way? Remember, he tried to attempt to kill you during that mission with Yamato and Sai. The thing is-" The pink-haired kunoichi got interrupted without finishing her sentence.

"Sakura! Stop it, okay?! Look, it doesn't matter if Sasuke is trying to kill me. Hell, I will bring him back over my dead body. You and I both know that we still care about him and will do everything we can to save him from himself… Don't try to convince me to change my mind because I never will. That's final," Naruto snapped back angrily, which further irritates Sakura.

"Save him…? You're going to save him rather than yourself and let others watch you die…? Is that what you want, Naruto…? The pink-haired kunoichi asked quietly while her eyes was starting to narrow slightly and argue. "You're important to all of us here! I understand your decision, but you also got to respect others as well. Sasuke is already a wanted criminal, so why go for all the trouble? Don't throw yourself away..."

The blonde-haired ninja got startled by the way she stated those words and said. "Look, I know why Sasuke is so obsessed with revenge. He loved his family and his clan. I think it's because he loves them so much that he can't let it go."

"Then why did he join the Akatsuki after he defeated Itachi?" Kiba questioned in annoyance.

"That's not what happened. The truth is-" The blonde-haired ninja got interrupted quickly without giving the answer.

"Naruto!" Kakashi warned, much to Sakura and the others' puzzlement and astonishment.

The blonde-haired ninja sighed tiredly and changed the subject, saying softly. "Anyway, I want to help Sasuke and it doesn't have anything to do with my promise to you, Sakura…"

The pink-haired kunoichi, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes at him and nodded firmly, saying. "Alright, then. If that's what you want, then go ahead... Kiba, Lee, Sai. Let's go!"

Sakura quickly turned around and walked away impatiently from Naruto and the jounin leaders. She held her tears back from her eyes in thought. " _Naruto… I'm sorry, but I've also made my choice. I'm going to be one looking for Sasuke and face him myself."_

When they began to travel on the way back to the leaf village, the substitution of Sai came out of his hiding and confronted Naruto, who was about to enter inside the wooden cabin.

"Sai… What are you doing here?" He asked curiously.

"It's a clone," Kakashi noted.

"Listen, I'm going to tell you the truth that Sakura couldn't tell you," Sai said with a blank expression.

"The truth…?" Naruto repeated in suspicion.

"I thought something was up," Kakashi said.

"What's going on, Sai?" Yamato interrogated.

"Look, Sakura came here to tell you something that she and your friends had decided…" Sai informed.

"I knew it… I noticed a strange look in her eyes that she was hiding something after all," Naruto pointed out.

"I understand now why she couldn't tell you…" Sai muttered.

"Hey, tell me…" The blonde-haired ninja demanded.

"Okay, the leaf is going to eliminate Sasuke. That's what all your friends are planning," Sai answered, much to Naruto's dismay.

He cleared his throat and questioned firmly. "Does Sakura really understand that?! How could she-? She loves Sasuke, though!"

"Sasuke is helping darkness take over this world. If he's allowed to live, he will just be the spark that starts an international war. He's a criminal now. After the Akatsuki had attacked the leaf, the ninjas could no longer turn a blind eye to the fact that Sasuke is working with Akatsuki. Sakura isn't stupid and she's not so much of a child as to not understand other people's circumstances," Sai explained.

"Then, why didn't she just tell me right away?!" Naruto questioned in frustration.

"It probably wasn't easy. She knew it would hurt you, but still… She thought she'd lessen your burden by giving up on Sasuke. But you still said you wanted to save Sasuke. I think that's why she couldn't tell you the truth. She was thinking of your feelings and she probably knew you'd say that. She actually asked me not to tell you. She wanted to do it herself and she said it was her duty," Sai stated.

"But if she knew what Naruto's reaction would be, that means she never meant to tell him in the first place, right?" Yamato asked for reassurance. "What is she planning?"

"This is just a guess, but I think she probably…" Sai trailed off of his words quietly.

"She means to kill him herself…" Kakashi finished his sentence, furthering Naruto's shock and disbelief.

"Is that true, Sai?!" Yamato asked.

"Probably," he answered and continued on. "Sakura smiled and said she'd work with everyone else. But this time, I was able to tell it was a fake smile."

"No way… She can't… She loves Sasuke so much…" Naruto stuttered nervously.

"That's why… I don't think she can just stand by and watch as he plunges headlong towards evil. She wants to save him from a life of evil because she loves him and I think she's prepared to do whatever it takes, even if it means killing the one she loves. And she also knows that might make you hate her. That's why her way of making up for trying to saddle you with a lifelong burden. She's always relied on you too much. So now, she's going to do everything alone," Sai concluded.

"Sai… Why are you telling me this?" Naruto asked sadly.

"I may not have meant to, but it's partly my fault that she decided to do this. That's why I told you. I couldn't let her do it. I'm part of Team 7, too, you know," he stated.

"I see…" Naruto murmured as he started to think about the memory of his beloved team that slowly began to shatter into pieces of broken glass.

All of a sudden, a few footsteps had landed on the ground, which made him turn around to look at them in surprise.

"We have something we need to tell you right away. We'll tell you everything that happened at the Five Kage summit," said Temari and explained the whole incident with fighting against Sasuke and Danzo's betrayal.

"I see… I had no idea the summit had turned such a battleground. But Danzo…" Yamato replied in disappointment.

"I wasn't really into the whole Hokage thing, but even if I have no choice now, I still have to get back to the leaf and ask everyone what they think," Kakashi noted.

"Madara said he was going to start a war. This is no time to take things slow," Temari reminded.

"I think everyone will agree. Let's continue as if you were Hokage, Kakashi," Yamato announced and continued on. "It's too dangerous to take our time and let Akatsuki and Madara get the upper hand."

"Well, I guess you're right. Thanks." Kakashi said dully and glanced over his right shoulder to look at Naruto, who was staring gloomily on the ground.

"Naruto… Just so you know, this will be a war to protect the Eight-tails and Nine-tails. In other words, you. For the sake of the ninja world and as the Kazekage, I will guard you with my life. If Sasuke Uchiha stands in the way of the ninja coalition, I will show no mercy. He doesn't even see you anymore. He only sees his own darkness. You have told me that you would become Hokage. I have become Kazekage. If you are prepared to bear the title of Kage, then do what you must as Sasuke's friend," Gaara encouraged as he placed his left hand upon his shoulder.

On the contrary, the blonde-haired ninja nudged a little to remove his hand away and said quietly. "There's something I need to tell you…"

"What is it?" The red-haired Kazekage asked curiously.

"My friends came here and convinced me not to go after Sasuke by myself… And Sai told me that Sakura is… planning to get rid of him…"

Gaara's eyes widened in shock, including Kankuro and Temari and asked. "When…?"

"Right after she left for just a couple of minutes ago and before you guys arrived here," Naruto answered.

Kankuro huffed, saying. "No way…"

"It's dangerous…" Temari said worriedly.

"Yeah. It's not easy to fight Sasuke and after all, you guys had experienced his skills and techniques of his style of combat," the blonde-haired ninja pointed out.

"Gaara… What do we do? Are we going to go after her or go back to the village to inform everyone that war is on the line?" Kankuro asked beside him.

The red-haired Kazekage narrowed his eyes slightly and said determinedly. "Don't worry… I'll handle this."

"Huh?!" His siblings were puzzled and confused.

"What do you mean?" Temari questioned.

"Listen to what I'm about to inform you and Kankuro, alright?" Gaara instructed sternly without turning his head around to look at them.

Both of his siblings was staring at the back of his head and nodded in understanding with a quick unison reply, saying. "Right."

Then at that moment, the red-haired Kazekage moved his eyes' attention on Naruto as the two of them had already figured out what they are about to do. They were always thinking about the pink-haired kunoichi, who recently left to go and track down Sasuke herself.

More of understanding part can be the hardest the decision to make.

Even so, love can lead to blindness.

Perhaps, even a slightest mere of illusion.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	14. Chaos

**Please read & review!**

"We're heading back to our village now. Kakashi Hatake, the sand will act on the assumption that you are the Hokage. I pray that there won't be any miscommunication," Temari said hopefully.

"Roger that," he replied.

The red-haired Kazekage slowly turns his back around and muttered quietly. "I think of you as a friend, Naruto... I used to think 'friend' was just another word. Nothing more, nothing less. But when I met you, I realized that the only thing that is important was the word's meaning. Think about its meaning and what you are trying to do for Sasuke."

"Let's go," Kankuro informed beside him as the three of them hopped out of the sight and left as soon as possible.

"Naruto..." Yamato called gently.

Kakashi gestured his left arm out, saying. "We have to let him figure out the answer himself."

"So what should we do now? I think our first priority should be getting back to the leaf village and telling everyone in the summit. But there's Sakura to think about too..." Yamato explained in concern.

"I'll be with Sakura. I won't let her get near Sasuke, so just rest easy," Sai promised.

"But we still need to go after her and convince her to turn back, Although..." Kakashi trailed off of his words when he remembers Gaara's words to them.

On the other hand, Kankuro and Temari were following behind their younger brother while they were traveling off into the winter forest and were still trying to figure out what his plan is. They remained silent for a couple of minutes until one of them spoke out.

"You're still worried about her...?" The purple-faced ninja guessed.

"Look, Gaara. If there is anything we can do to help, just let us know right away," the pony-tailed haired kunoichi offered softly.

The red-haired Kazekage didn't bother to look back at them directly. But he pointed out determinedly, saying. "Trust me..."

Kankuro and Temari was staring at him and decided to understand his decision. "Right."

In the meantime, the battle between Sasuke and Danzo at the Bridge was about to end where Karin was taken hostage and used as a sacrifice instead of being protected. From there, she was merely stabbed in order to pierce Danzo's heart.

 _"Sasuke... Is this all I am to you?" The red-haired kunoichi stood frozen in trauma while looking at him._

"Karin. You're nothing but a burden to me if you are just taken hostage," the dark-haired ninja said smirking cruelly in delight.

Then, Danzo shoved Karin off onto the ground as he started coughing up blood out of his mouth and quickly ran. But Tobi had jumped down to prevent him from escaping.

"Shishui's eye is mine now," he declared.

Although, the old man took off his white robe and cried out in desperation. "For the world of ninjas, for the leaf village, I cannot let you live!"

"What?! This is a Reverse Four Symbols Seal!" Madara pointed out in surprise and instructed. "Sasuke! Get away from Danzo!"

Both of them suddenly watched him transform into a huge dark sphere that was expanding in a great length and exploded into pieces.

Meanwhile, the pink-haired kunoichi and the rest of her leaf squad members were traveling through the forest to hunt down their long time friend.

"Uhh, Sakura?" Lee asked.

"What?" Her voice raised out boldly.

"Don't you think you should tell Naruto the truth?" Lee suggested.

"There's no way I could tell him. I just can't..." the pink-haired kunoichi stated.

"Sakura. You've underestimated Naruto..." Kiba remarked sternly until he sensed a familiar smell coming from a couple of blocks away and said out loud in confidence. "I've found Sasuke and that Tobi guy is with him, too."

"Everyone, stop!" Sakura commanded as they all halted.

"What? Why are we stopping? We already agreed on our formation!" Kiba pointed out.

"Kiba. Exactly, how far away is Sasuke?" The pink-haired kunoichi asked.

"Well, he's straight north, 2 o'clock. About 1 km ahead of us," Kiba answered thoughtfully.

"Guys, I'm sorry..." Sakura muttered as she quickly raised up her hand to knock them out unconsciously. However, she was stopped by Sai.

"I knew it. So you were going to put us into sleep with this..." he said emotionless.

"Sai...!" Sakura exclaimed.

"What?!" Kiba questioned in confusion.

"What's going on?" Lee asked blankly.

"Looks like Sakura wanted to take care of Sasuke on her own," Sai guessed correctly.

"Alone...? But why?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah. You promised we'd do it together!" Lee pointed out.

"I won't let anyone past," Sai said firmly.

"Why not?!" Sakura got aggravated as she quickly glanced at him.

"I knew this guy was shady!" Kiba gasped in shock.

"There's no way we can beat Sasuke or Tobi. I promised Kakashi-sensei I wouldn't let you go," he informed.

"Sai... I'm only going to say this once. Get out of my way!" Sakura threatened when she started to adjust her fighting gloves, ready to pummel him.

"No. I won't let you do this," Sai gestured his arm out to perform his art technique using his paintbrush and a white scroll.

"He's going to tie us up with snakes," Lee said observantly.

"I understand Kakashi-sensei's point of view, but we can't let Sasuke run loose any longer. I'll handle this," Kiba smirked coolly and noticed that Akamaru was whimpering in fear. "The hell? Don't chicken out on me!"

"Apparently, your dog is smarter than you," Sai said offensively.

"Claim it!" Kiba dared vehemently.

"Let's go, Lee!" Sakura said beside him.

"Right, Hiiya!" He exclaimed out loud as he diverged over to attack Sai, who began to notice three unexpected balls lying on the ground, much to their alarm.

"Oh no!" He yelled out as everything had exploded into puff of smoke, which eventually made them fall asleep.

 _"Sorry, everyone..." the pink-haired kunoichi said strictly in mind._

"She took out Kiba and Lee and... meh..." Sai groaned dizzily.

"Arf-arf..." Akamaru barked softly and drools quickly onto the ground.

On the other hand, the clone of Sai had informed Kakashi that Sakura had knocked them out and urged him to find her before she was about to reach Sasuke. He vanished away, much to Kakashi's impressiveness.

"Not bad, Sakura..." he said dully and continuously kept running in a fast pace without stopping.

Concurrently, the pink-haired kunoichi did not bother to look back at her teammates since she has a goal in her mind.

And her goal in mind is to confront Sasuke.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	15. Sakura vs Sasuke

**Hey, guys! I'm almost done halfway of this story as it is about to end. I will be writing the next story.**

 **Anyways, please read & review!**

* * *

"Sasuke. A word of advice. If you're done with that woman, kill her. She knows too much about our plans," Tobi ordered darkly.

"Our plans? Who said I was working with you? Whatever. I'll see you later," Sasuke informed, then looked up at the sky until he stared down at the red-haired kunoichi, who was dying slowly in front of him.

" _I wish I could see that same smile… One last time…" Karin thought weakly in mind._

Once the dark-haired ninja was about to strike her with his Chidori, a familiar voice suddenly called out loud, much to his awareness.

"Sasuke!" The pink-haired kunoichi stood in the edge of the broken bridge.

The dark-haired ninja, on the other hand, clenched his fist tightly and turned around coldly, saying. "Sakura…"

" _It doesn't feel like the old Sasuke… Is this really the same person? His chakra is…" the pink-haired kunoichi was panting out of breath and felt nervous, but managed to stay calm._

"Why have you come before me this time?" Sasuke asked in annoyance.

"Sasuke, I'm abandoning the leaf village and coming with you!" Sakura announced, then she jumped onto the side of the bridge.

"You wouldn't gain anything by following me. What are you plotting?" Sasuke interrogated.

"I'm not plotting anything! It's just… I've always regretted not going with you when you left the hidden leaf…" Sakura stated desperately.

" _She's… an old friend and she loves him too but…" Karin pointed out in mind._

"I'll do whatever you want me to do. I don't want to have anymore regrets…" Sakura explained.

"Do you know… what I want?" Sasuke asked slowly while he was narrowing his eyes towards her.

"It doesn't matter! I'll do whatever you say," Sakura gestured her arms out to lend a hand.

"I want to destroy the leaf. That's what I want…" Sasuke declared menacingly, much to the pink-haired kunoichi's shock and disbelief. "Would you really betray the leaf for me?"

"Yes… If you… say so…" Sakura answered determinedly.

"Then, you'll have to prove it…" the dark-haired ninja said and began to point his finger on Karin. "If you kill her, I'll let you come with me."

The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes widened in astonishment as she paused for a moment to think.

" _ **Sakura… Don't do it," her inner self warned and continued on. "You're getting yourself in danger."**_

" _Look, trust me. I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine and you can try helping me. Besides, he's someone I still care for," the pink-haired kunoichi explained serenely while looking at her long-time friend intensely._

" _ **Girl, I'm right behind you. But if things go rough, we have to withdraw because Sasuke is not who you think he is anymore. Remember that," her inner self notified.**_

From that moment on, Sakura began to swallow as she formed a few drops of sweat from her forehead, then took out her kunai knife out of her cloak. She started to ask him in curiosity. "Who is she?"

"One of the members of Team Hawk. As you can see, she's no longer useful to me now. Sakura, you were a healer, weren't you? You'll make a good replacement for her," Sasuke described nonchalant.

" _You're right… This is definitely not the Sasuke I knew… He's changed," the pink-haired kunoichi said in mind with a heated glare._

" _ **Well, what did I tell ya?" Her inner self verified the point.**_

Sakura started to slowly approach Karin's body while holding onto her kunai knife. She was staring down at her hardly as her eyes were glistening back and forth, which she was beginning to stall back.

Sasuke narrowed her eyes slightly in observing her action, questioning suspiciously. "What's wrong, Sakura? Can't you do it?"

" _She has nothing to do with this… If I… If I just…!" The pink-haired kunoichi clenched her teeth in a little frustration and said strongly in mind. "If I kill Sasuke, everything will be over!"_

" _ **Sakura…! He's going to-!" Her inner self warned out loud in mind.**_

"Stop, Sasuke…" Karin muttered hoarsely, which caught Sakura's attention when the dark-haired ninja was about to strike her with his Chidori on his left hand until a powerful shield had suddenly appeared right before their eyes.

It was known as the Cherry Blossom Ultimate Defense Shield, which covered the pink-haired kunoichi's whole body.

"Hm?!" Sasuke's eyes widened in shock when his Chidori backfired as it began to subsided. He took one step back from her and stammered. "You-!"

Sakura closed her eyes until she reopens them to reveal a glowing bright green with a strong expression on her face. She quickly raised up both of her tight fists and hopped forward to pummel him.

The dark-haired ninja started to dodge her attacks and decided to use his technique once again. However this time, Sakura was able to retaliate as fast as she can to perform her own jutsu.

"Earth shock-wave!" She exclaimed boldly when the chakra had released out of her hands and began to extend.

Sasuke hopped a step back and smirked, saying. "I must say. I'm impressed that you exceeded, Sakura." His eyes slowly narrowed and remarked darkly. "But not good enough…"

The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes widened in unease when she watches him activate his Mangekyou Sharingan and summon the Susanoo at the same time.

Sasuke began to charge towards her and attack her using the sword blade. However, Sakura had deflected with shield again and performed her technique as soon as possible.

"Ninja Art: Cherry Blossom storm!"

Then, several pink petals of the flowers were immensely spiraling around the dark-haired ninja until it continuously radiates the area, which almost blinded him from the brightness of the light and absorbs his chakra.

A few seconds later, all the cherry blossom petals began to dissolve into liquids of hot molten rocks that burns the skin of his arms.

"Arrgh!" Sasuke cried out at the burning sensation he felt from the withering flowers. But he managed to counterattack, using his Mangekyou Sharingan to cast giant ball of black flames, striking upon her.

On the contrary, Sakura uses her Cherry Blossom Flash to get away from the fire bombing on the bridge. She then quickly uses her Multi-flower clone jutsu and tries to combat Sasuke physically one by one non-stop.

"Cha! Take this!" The pink-haired kunoichi growled angrily as she made a few hand signs and started running towards him, whereas the rest of her clones were helping her push up and fly high in the air. "Quarter-Tiger Combo!"

She diverged straight down to punch the cement as they broke into pieces and took Sasuke's arm hastily and twist it over her shoulder to kick him right in the abdomen.

At that moment, the dark-haired ninja stumbled a little and dodges her punch, yet the pink-haired kunoichi started to kick him back and forth across his jaw. Until he quickly grabbed onto her left leg and neck tightly without letting go of her. "Do you really think you can defeat me? Well then, prepare for my genjutsu… Let's see if you can escape from this!"

Sakura gasped in shock when she closed her eyes to not fall into his trap. Though, it was a bit too late for her when she didn't realized that she was looking at his eyes the whole time.

The surroundings altered into a different set of place filled with red lake and blood moon, much to her puzzlement. Her entire body went frozen where her arms and legs were displayed out and was bound into golden chains.

"Gah!" Sakura cried out in pain and grunted at the torment that she was in.

"Don't worry. This will only last a few seconds and after that, you won't feel anything…" Sasuke said smirking evilly as he raised up his right hand to control the huge long metal spike in front of him.

On the other hand, the pink-haired kunoichi's eyes widened in horror as they glistened back and forth anxiously at the sight of Sasuke's start of torment.

Suddenly, a few drops of blood had splattered onto the chains and was dripping onto the streaming waters when the weapon had impaled through her lower left abdomen. Sakura's eyes startled and screamed in agony at the affliction that was brought onto her.

Back in the real dimension, Sakura dropped onto her knees and was howling in pain from the wound that the dark-haired ninja had placed.

Karin, who was currently injured, was watching the scene in front of her and couldn't help but thought secondly in resentment. "You're a monster… Sasuke…"

The pink-haired kunoichi, however, began to heal the wound using the amount of chakra that she has left. She was panting breathlessly and gagged out some blood from her mouth, asking. "Why…? Why Sasuke? I thought you-"

"Wouldn't hurt you, kill you… Hmm. You are so naive, Sakura. After these past two years, you are still hoping that I will return back to the leaf village and be back on Team 7 with you and Naruto…? Too late. I've changed and nobody will ever go in my way once I destroy that place that murdered my family, my entire clan…" the dark-haired ninja stated coldly and began to approach her slowly until he stopped and looked down on her.

"But you said you will never turn your back on us! You promised that after you've completed your revenge, you wouldn't stay on that path anymore-" Sakura reasoned out in sorrow.

"Just shut up! That is none of your business," Sasuke yelled in rage, much to the pink-haired kunoichi's dismay. Then, he once again performed his usual technique and declared. "You have no right to interfere with my plans, so I will end you right here and now!"

As soon as he began to strike her with his Chidori, a leaf jounin delayed his attack from going further when he rapidly slapped his hand away before it reaches the pink-haired kunoichi.

" _He really meant to kill her…" Kakashi guessed correctly while staring heatedly at his former student, saying._ "You've really fallen, Sasuke."

"Heh! One after another," the dark-haired ninja said smirking maliciously.

Kakashi was staring at Sasuke and asks his student beside him. "Sakura… Were you going to kill Sasuke on your own?"

However, the pink-haired kunoichi remained silent while she was sitting and looking down on the ground with guilt.

"There's no need for you to take that burden for yourself… As the leader of Team 7, it's my fault that this happened. Sakura… I said things I shouldn't have to try and reassure you. Maybe I was just trying to reassure myself. Sorry I haven't been a very good sensei…" Kakashi stated apologetically.

"That's not true… To me, you did everything to make sure our team does not fall apart. There's no need to say sorry," Sakura said softly, whereas Sasuke was listening to them.

"Sasuke… I don't like saying the same thing over and over. But I will tell you one more time. Don't become consumed by revenge!" Kakashi warned sternly.

Although, the dark-haired ninja began to laugh out loud in malice, which almost made Sakura have second thoughts about him. Then, his voice suddenly became quiet when he spoke before he demanded in anger. "Bring me Itachi and my father, my mother… Bring me back my clan! Then I will stop!"

"I don't want to kill you…" Kakashi said calmly.

"You say it like you actually could! Don't act like I'm still your student. I've been dying to kill you Kakashi…" Sasuke said smirking sadistically insane.

" _Is this what Madara has done to him?" The leaf jounin asked suspiciously in mind and ordered carefully._ "Sakura. Heal that girl until she's able to talk. There's still time. She knows a lot about the enemy."

"What about you?" The pink-haired kunoichi asked concernedly.

"Sakura… Listen, take her with you and get out of here as soon as possible," Kakashi concluded, much to her sadness. However, he continued to smile, saying. "I will take the burden from you. It's my duty. Go on, hurry."

The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes was glistening in tears but she decided to hold them back and nodded firmly in agreement. "Right. Please, be careful, sensei."

"I will," Kakashi said assuringly.

A few seconds later, Sakura had carried Karin's body all the way to the back of the huge monument wall while she was healing the wounds.

"Y-you…" the red-haired kunoichi said hoarsely.

"Don't talk yet. Just a little longer," Sakura instructed.

 _Karin was looking at her while she was lying down weakly and thought. "You're the enemy… But You're Sasuke's old friend… Ugh. I don't want to sympathize with you, so don't cry like that in front of me…! Damn it."_

Both of the girls had their tears streaming down on their faces as they know that the guy that they fell in love with is not the same.

"He's dangerous… I don't think he will ever come back to his old self anytime soon," Karin replied as soon as she was starting to recover.

Sakura, on the other hand, had stood up and still has a plan in her mind. When she look down on the waters of the river, the battle between her sensei and her friend was still ongoing.

"What are you going to do…?" Karin asked, but the pink-haired kunoichi left in disappearance.

"Ugh!" Sasuke grunted in soreness when his eyes was bleeding out on his face.

Kakashi noticed that the pink-haired kunoichi was walking upside down on the bridge with her kunai knife on her hand and said with a warning in mind. " _Sakura. What are you doing?! Stay out of this!"_

" _I can't let you bear this burden, Kakashi-sensei!" The pink-haired kunoichi stated determinedly, then she started to reminisce the past where she was crushing on the boy. Unfortunately, she immediately hesitated from stabbing him on the back and sobbing in grief. "I… I thought I could do it."_

Sasuke quickly turned around and grabbed her neck tightly while he was lifting her up in the air.

"No! Sakura!" Kakashi was attempting to run straight, but the side effects of the Mangekyou had impacted him. "Ow! Damn it!"

"Agggh! Ooh!" The pink-haired kunoichi grunted in pain.

The dark-haired ninja didn't stopped himself from killing her once he took her kunai knife filled with poison and suddenly impaled her, much to Kakashi's horror.

"Sakura!" He exclaimed out worriedly until the blonde-haired ninja and the red-haired Kazekage came into arrival on the scene.

The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes was shutting down when the poison started to spread around her abdomen, yet she was being carried by her former best friend that she didn't know that he was going to be there for her all this time.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	16. The Darkness In His Eyes

**Hey, guys! After this story, I will be writing the next one, which I will be publishing very soon in the next few months of summer.**

 **Anyways, please read & review!**

* * *

Kakashi did not expect that the two close friends would come to the rescue at this time of trouble. But he figured it out that they need to confront Sasuke at all costs.

"Naruto! Gaara!" He said in surprise and sighed in exhaustion. "You guys shouldn't have come, but thank you…"

"Kakashi-sensei, you can't do this alone, especially that I'm involved in this situation. After all, you, me, and Sakura are part of Team 7. As of now, leave this to me and Gaara, you know what to do…" the blonde-haired ninja explained gently and glanced over his left shoulder behind him to look at the unconscious pink-haired kunoichi in concern.

The red-haired Kazekage, on the other hand, nodded in agreement and slowly examine the wound that Sasuke had infiltrated in her abdomen. "Sakura…" He murmured softly, then took out one of the antidote injections from his pouch. As soon as he popped the cap off, he quickly inserted the needle in her left arm. The liquid began to stream down at a slow pace until the pink-haired kunoichi returned to her normal breathing.

"Hmph… How touching. Just as I thought. Two losers had finally shown up and become heroes," the dark-haired ninja remarked in a sneer.

Naruto turns around to look at his former best friend and said in disappointment. "You were really going to kill her, weren't you… Sasuke?"

Kakashi stood on his spot and thought the same thing.

Gaara was kneeling down on one of his knees while gently holding onto Sakura's body. He couldn't help but gaze around her face and waiting for her to recover from the toxic poison.

Then, her eyes began to flutter open in a blurry vision until they became clear to see the first person staring at her in worry.

"Gaara…" the pink-haired kunoichi gasped out in surprise as her eyes were glistening back and forth in tears and ask. "What-what are you doing here…? How did you-?"

"Naruto told me everything about your plan and what you were going to do... Are you okay?" The red-haired Kazekage explained and asked softly.

Sakura blinked her eyes for a moment and gave him a nod, saying. "Yes…"

Gaara's lips curved into a warm smile in relief. "That's good to hear."

As soon as he helps her lean forward, the pink-haired kunoichi tries to stand up on her feet, but her whole body became a bit heavy after the stabbing incident had happened to her abdomen. The same exact spot that Sasuke had inflicted upon her, which she started to wince out in pain.

"Aghh!" Sakura dropped her knees on the surface of the water.

But Gaara was there to support her from falling and put his hand around her waist.

"Thank you…" the pink-haired kunoichi said shyly.

"You're welcome," the red-haired Kazekage murmured.

"Sasuke… Sakura is part of Team 7, just like us," Naruto pointed out boldly in anger.

"In case you forgot, I'm EX-team 7," the dark-haired ninja stated with an evil smirk.

"Was that proof enough, Naruto? Sasuke's not the same person anymore," Kakashi said quietly.

"Sasuke…" Naruto called out calmly.

"WHAT?!" The dark-haired ninja asked firmly.

"Tobi told us the truth about Itachi. I don't know if I believe him or not, but either way, everything you've done…" the blonde-haired ninja explained and continued on. "I understand why you did it!"

 _"_ _The truth about Itachi?" Sakura questioned with curiosity in mind._

"Naruto… I told you once before, you never had parents or siblings. You never had anyone, so shut up, you outsider!" Sasuke insulted harshly, much to the pink-haired kunoichi's irritation.

She burst out to argue defensively, saying. "Naruto's had faith in you, Sasuke! No matter how badly the world slandered you, he still considered you a friend! He still does!"

From that moment on, Gaara was holding onto her side firmly and watch the three of them discuss the issue. He was starting to figure out that Sasuke will not return back to the leaf anytime soon. Words are not enough to convince someone to change their mind. After all, it definitely depends on the person.

"Just now, just moments ago, I finally got revenge for Itachi on one of his betrayers. One of the Leaf's top brass. His name was Danzo," the dark-haired ninja mentioned.

 _"_ _Wha-! He killed Danzo!?" Kakashi questioned in disbelief._

"It was high, unlike anything I've ever felt. Like I was finally cleansing the Uchiha name of the stigma that's dogged it for all these years. I was freeing the Uchiha from being associated with this corrupt Shinobi world. In a sense, it's what the Leaf has always wanted. After rejecting my clan for generations, I'm finally going to wipe it from your memories. By killing every last one of you until the Leaf is crushed forever! Any link to the Uchiha will be severed and our name will be purified. That is how I will restore my clan!" Sasuke declared boastfully with his arms gestured out to grasp all the power he has.

 _"_ _Sasuke… Why…?" The pink-haired kunoichi asked frighteningly on what is about to come._

"Sakura… Naruto… There's nothing to be afraid of. We are all shinobi and we must fight for what is right. For our countries, for our families, everyone around us…" Gaara stated calmly after he got their attention on what he had spoken to them.

"Right…" Sakura agreed.

Naruto nodded in agreement and looked back at Sasuke with determination.

"Keep talking, Kazekage… But sooner or later, you all will die by my hands. That is if you can all surpass me," Sasuke said daringly and chuckled in amusement at the sight of their dismay.

 _"_ _A history of hatred. That's what turned him into what he is now. Naruto and Sakura don't fully understand how much Sasuke was a victim of that era, but they'll learn from experience soon enough," Kakashi noted in mind as he glanced at them with his one eye open._

Naruto decided to summon a shadow clone beside him, ready to fight his friend.

However, Kakashi gestured his left arm out to stop. "This is my job! Naruto, Sakura, Gaara, get out of here."

"But Kakashi-sensei-!" Sakura protested loudly but got interrupted.

"I don't want you two to have to see this. Get out of here, NOW!" Kakashi ordered strictly.

"Sakura, let's go," Gaara said urgently as he carried her while she wrapped her arms around him at the same time in a tight grip.

He carefully got up, then hopped up towards the railing of the bridge by every step forward. They reached the top and he gently put her to sit back on the wall of the bridge.

"We can't leave them!" The pink-haired kunoichi pointed out in worry.

"I know. That is why we can only move a little farther away from the trouble from a few blocks," the red-haired Kazekage said in understanding.

The pink-haired kunoichi was staring off into space until she started to cough up and asks. "What are you doing here…? I thought you were on the way back home with Kankuro and Temari."

Gaara answered. "Yes. I was, but lately, I was starting to feel uneasy when something terrible was going to happen to you…"

Sakura's eyes were gazing towards him and ask again in a gentle tone of her voice. "Why…?"

The red-haired Kazekage was staring right back at her without breaking the eye contact and placed his hand on top of hers in reply. "Because… You are still my best friend… I couldn't let anything worse happening to you. I couldn't let you go off and fight Sasuke all by yourself. I'm glad that Naruto and Kakashi were there to help. Do you honestly think I would forget you and not protect you anymore?"

The pink-haired kunoichi paused for a moment when her tears were starting to form in her eyes and fall with a single drop. She was shaking her head and began to cry. She slowly brushes her hair through her fingers in frustration, saying. "I… I just… I can't let you or anyone take this burden. I can't stand seeing you guys facing this problem all the time with Sasuke… Gaara, I'm sorry…!"

She quickly embraced him with a tight hug and leaned her head on his right shoulder. He reciprocated when he wrapped his arms around her waist while holding onto her.

"It's alright… No need to worry so much. I know you are suffering, just as much as Naruto and the others. You don't have to be sorry. This is not your fault. There is always a reason for everything behind everything," Gaara stated and continued on to babble. "I know for a fact that Sasuke will change for the better. Maybe not back to his old self, but eventually when the time comes, he will realize…"

"No… Gaara, it's not that. I really am sorry that I walked out on you after we had that argument at that time… It was just in the heat of a moment. I didn't know what I was thinking," Sakura said sincerely with her saddened expression on her face as she continued to stare at him.

"Again, there's no need to worry… What's done is done and nothing is going to change that. But we all can," the red-haired Kazekage was rubbing his thumb soothingly back and forth on her hand.

Without any words spoken from one of them, they already had settled their differences aside and had rekindled their friendship once again.

Both of them haven't realized that their feelings for one another were becoming more deep and profound than the ones that they have as friends.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	17. Naruto vs Sasuke

**Please read & review!**

* * *

During that time, Naruto and Kakashi were still wondering how they could resolve the problem, even if it means by going against Sasuke.

"Sensei… Are you going to kill him?" The blonde-haired ninja asked with his eyes narrowed at his back.

"Leave!" The leaf jounin instructed boldly.

But Naruto didn't obliged to follow his order when he took his own actions to fight. By performing his Rasengan on his right hand, he started running towards him without hesitation.

"You've left him vulnerable! I won't hesitate for a second!" The dark-haired ninja exclaimed with his insanity.

"Naruto, wait!" Kakashi called out.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled out in a warning from the top of the bridge railing, whereas Gaara was holding her side for support.

 _"_ _Its funny, Sasuke… You and I could've easily been standing in each other's shoes right now," the blonde-haired ninja said softly in mind._

All of a sudden, the Rasengan and Chidori had clashed between them as their surroundings had begin to alter in a different side of dimension.

"You know why everyone hated me when I was a kid? Because I have the Nine-Tails inside me. I hated all of them, too. I wanted to get revenge on them. One misstep and I might've been thinking the same horrible things as you. I thought I'd never have a real bond with anyone, not until I met people like you and Iruka-sensei. I knew you were always alone. I felt better knowing there was someone like me… I wanted to hang out with you. It just made me happy. But I couldn't… I was jealous of how skilled you were, so I turned you into a rival. I wanted to be just like you. I started with nothing, but I finally made a connection. We went on missions as Team 7, and I kept chasing you wanting to be just strong, just as cool. I'm really glad I met you!" Naruto said grinning happily with his entire explanation.

Then, a moment of silence began until the dark-haired ninja had responded back.

"Naruto… It's too late. Nothing you say now can change me! I'm going to kill you and every last person in your beloved village! It's time to make your choice! Kill me and become a hero or die at my hand and be another one of my victims!" Sasuke threatened in spite.

The blonde-haired ninja closed his eyes and made a declaration. "I'm not going to be your victim or go down in history as the man who killed you. Neither!"

Their powers made a strong collision send them flying back away from each other. Luckily, Kakashi caught Naruto, whereas the white Zetsu did with Sasuke.

"When did you get here?" The dark-haired ninja asked with a glare.

"I've been following you for a while now. Tobi told me to make sure you didn't notice me. But it looks like you're in a bit of a pinch here," the white Zetsu explained with his amusing smile.

On the contrary, Sakura jumped down onto the waters of the river, alongside with Gaara. She came towards her team in concern.

"Are you alright?!" The pink-haired kunoichi asked, but they didn't bother to reply back.

"Now I know for sure…" the blonde-haired ninja said firmly while he continue to stare at Sasuke.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi questioned in confusion and noticed that his student was taking a slow steps forward. "Naruto!"

"Right… But there's something I want to say to Sasuke," he said and paused for a moment to take a second to breathe. He then started to reminisce the moments of their fights from the past and predicted that they will both die, much to the others' shock.

Attacking the leaf village will not end the cycle of hatred. Despite how much damage it has caused them, the rest of the shinobi are still able to rejuvenate everything that the enemies had broken. That is what Naruto is about to do, even if it means by dying with his friend and carrying the heavy burdens that he still has.

"Why…? What the hell do you want?! Why do you care so much about me?!" Sasuke questioned out loud in frustration.

"Because we're friends," Naruto answered with a smile.

Sasuke stood frozen on his spot, feeling speechless. He doesn't know how to respond or argue back since he was starting to realize that he really meant to sacrifice himself for him.

"At least, we'll no longer by the Uchiha and the Nine-Tails," the blonde-haired ninja said chuckling as he was brushing the side of his hair.

Sakura and Gaara, on the other hand, was touched by his word.

The pink-haired kunoichi's tears began to drop from her eyes. She wiped them away with her hands and couldn't help but feel inadequate. _"Naruto has made his own decision, unlike my own weak will… I'm supposed to be a ninja, but all I do is cry and let him do the part. I thought I'd shaken that off when I came here… But I couldn't do it. I can't do anything. I can't say anything. All I can do is have faith in them."_

Gaara took a quick glance at her and knew that she was starting to doubt herself.

" _Sakura…" he said worriedly in his mind._

A few seconds later, Madara and Sasuke decided to teleport out of their sight, knowingly that the fight has just begun.

"Naruto… Thanks for everything," Sakura said gladly with a smile. "Thanks to you. I haven't given up on a future where Team 7 is laughing together again."

The blonde-haired ninja turned around and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You're welcome and hey, don't be so down of yourself… Okay, you and I will bring him back, just like we all promised."

Sakura's eyes was glistening in tears of sadness and joy and said. "Right…"

"Well, Naruto. I guess you are one step ahead of becoming a Hokage," Gaara said smiling.

"Haha. Someday," the blonde-haired ninja predicted in hopes of seeing his friend again.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	18. All We Ever See of Stars

**Please read & review! :)**

* * *

Once they headed towards the forest, they found that Lee and the rest of the squad were still sleeping on the ground next to each other. Naruto, Gaara, and Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle in amusement of what Sakura had done to her fellow mates.

"You were in trouble and here they were just there the whole time," the blonde-haired ninja said grinning.

"Haha…" the pink-haired kunoichi sweatdropped and gritted her teeth nervously.

"Sakura, they were trying to help-" Kakashi pointed out while he was carrying Karin on his back.

"I know. I'll apologize to them," she sighed tiredly.

"It's your fault… Sakura, was it? That Naruto's in condition in the first place," Karin recalled when she squinted her eyes at her.

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded in understanding and said softly. "Alright, alright. You can blame me all you want. But still… I thought I could handle this situation all by myself and convince Sasuke. I guess it didn't worked…"

"Sakura. Don't worry about it," the red-haired Kazekage said and patted her on the shoulder for reassurance.

"Yeah. At least, we know what we need to do. What we need to prepare ourselves in the upcoming battles. It's going to be tough out there, but as long as we fight together," Naruto stated.

The others agreed, then a few minutes later, the leaf squad had woken up and continued to walk home.

"Hmph! I'm the one who found Sasuke for you!" The red-faced ninja reasoned out in disappointment.

"Come on, Kiba… Don't be mad," Kakashi said.

"Why'd you get to have all the fun?" He continued on in annoyance. "And Sai told everything to Naruto, so now Sasuke ended up getting away."

"Kiba! Be a man and quit your bitching!" Naruto yelled out.

"You're the one who's always bitching, Naruto!" Kiba growled out vehemently.

"Oh! You're right. For as simple and dumb as he is, he really overthinks things," he started to laugh out.

"Sai! You sure are laughing a lot more lately, eh?!" The blonde-haired ninja shouted in irritation.

"Thank you," he said smiling.

"That wasn't a compliment!" Naruto said annoyingly.

"Hahaha! That's the old Naruto we all know," Lee noted with a smile.

"Yeah. You guys really do bonding," Gaara said chuckling.

"Hm…" Sakura answered with a faltering smile and just looked down on the ground, thinking to herself without letting anyone know.

But of course, the red-haired Kazekage was glancing at her sideways and didn't bother to ask her what was on her mind.

Later on in the afternoon, the good news was spreading across the leaf village where Tsunade had revived from her coma. Everyone was happy and glad to see that she's back to normal and was still recovering from the use of her powers. She started binging down on the food that was placed on her table, whereas Shizune had informed her about the war that Madara had declared. She called for the meeting with the council to be held the next couple of hours.

Down in the main entrance, Gaara and Sakura were standing in front of each other before they were about to part their ways.

"I know these past few days has been very difficult for us and we haven't been talking like we used to…" the red-haired Kazekage mentioned softly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry about that. We never had any arguments before and that was just the first time," the pink-haired kunoichi said and continued on. "But thank you… Thank you for saving me out there. If it wasn't for you, I would've been finished off by Sasuke. I didn't expect that you would come."

Gaara began to approach her closely, saying. "We are still friends, no matter what. I do not want to interfere with your personal issues with him, not even with Naruto's. All I want for the both of you is to make sure he returns back to his home…"

"Why do you care so much if I may ask?" Sakura asked politely in curiosity.

The red-haired Kazekage answered simply. "I just want you all guys to be happy. Mostly, I want you to be happy. I know how much you want to be with Sasuke…"

The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes stared at him in surprise, but ends up feeling low. She then nodded silently and point out truthfully, saying. "Well… I'm not so sure about that anymore…"

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked in puzzlement.

Sakura turns around to looked up at the sky and said delicately. "You know what people say, 'Love is like the wild rose-briar, friendship is like the holly-tree. The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms. But which will bloom most constantly?'"

The red-haired Kazekage stood in his spot as he watches her admiring the clouds drifting away and asks blankly in question. "What…?"

The pink-haired kunoichi quickly glances over her right shoulder and said. "Huh?! Oh, nothing. It's just a poem I remember in my mind all the time."

She grinned happily, which made him stare at her continuously with mesmerization and seemingly, not knowing what he was starting to feel.

"I see… Sakura…" Gaara called out gently.

"Yes?" The pink-haired kunoichi got startled and waited for him to respond.

"Do you know what kind of present I should give to Katsumi?" He asked.

"Oh… Your companion… Well, I think she will love to have tulips and maybe a nice dinner…" Sakura suggested as she trailed off of her words and looked away in awkwardness.

"Okay…" the red-haired Kazekage murmured.

"Hey, guys!" A familiar voice called out behind them.

Sakura turns around and said blankly in surprise. "Lee?!"

"Hey… Sorry for the long wait, but Lady Tsunade wanted to give you this, Gaara," he said, panting out of his breath as he quickly hand him the letter.

The red-haired Kazekage took it and nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. By the way, Naruto was asking if you could stay a little bit longer for only two days since he wants to have a small gathering between us and the rest of our squad. You can bring along your siblings," Lee reminded with a cheerful smile.

"I appreciate the offer. But again, I'm busy with the council meetings. Although, I wouldn't mind about spending some quality time with you all. Maybe some other time after the war…" Gaara explained gently.

"Oh… Okay. I understand and you're right. We really are going to war, aren't we?" Lee asked with his bizarre expression on his face.

"Yes, Lee. We are… But I know for a fact that we will all win this fight," Sakura said confidently, which he and Gaara smiled.

"Well, anyway. It's time for me to go now and head back. Kankuro and Temari are probably waiting," the red-haired Kazekage said, then he started to wave a gesture at them and walk out of the gates.

"Alright! Oh, Gaara. Tell them that I said 'hi and hoping to see them again,'" Sakura called out brightly with a grin.

"Me too!" Lee said merrily.

The red-haired Kazekage nodded gratefully in agreement, then continued to depart and onto his journey.

Sakura slowly dropped her waving hand beside her and watches him leave, which her smile began to fade.

Lee took a notice at this and asks carefully. "So… do you want to talk about it?"

The pink-haired kunoichi sighed and looked at him with a dull expression. "Why not…"

"You sure?" Lee asked again.

"Yeah…" Sakura nodded.

Then, they stopped by the bridge during the warmest evening before the stars began to appear in the sky. The rivers of the water was streaming down peacefully and the flower petals were gently falling on top of the surfaces. The pink-haired kunoichi was leaning on the railing while she was twisting the stem back and forth absentmindedly without even blinking until Lee began to speak.

"It must be hard to have two different feelings at the same time…" he stated in understanding.

The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes widened in shock and didn't overreact as she cleared her throat, saying. "Hmph… What makes you think that way?"

"Come on. Even Sai has some clues about you. He's not just making stupid assumptions. In fact, he's a mind reader," Lee joked with a chuckle.

Sakura gave him a slight nudge with her elbow on his left shoulder in annoyance.

"Alright, I'm kidding. But seriously, Sakura… You don't have to deal with these feelings alone. Not after you went to go and fight Sasuke yourself," Lee pointed out.

"To tell you the truth, I always wonder to myself. What would it be like if I was in Sasuke's shoes? What would it be like if I was in everybody else's shoes? I still keep thinking about him. I still haven't completely moved on from him. That's the thing about love. It makes you do all these crazy and stupid things and you come to the point where you suddenly got tired. Falling in love is definitely the worst. Why...? Because you fall for someone and you don't even know if they are going to catch you or not.

During my fight with Sasuke, I was starting to hesitate because there's still feelings that I have here and the memories I have with him. But then, when he stabbed me twice, that was the time that I've finally realized that my love for him was just a mere deception.

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm starting to give up on Sasuke… However, I will keep pushing myself to the edge where I'm ready to say that enough is enough. My goal in the future is that someday, him and I will solve our problems and who knows… Who will be the one for me… I want to find someone to love me and spend the rest of our lives together…"

"You still miss him?" Lee asked.

"Yeah. I still do. Again, I don't know anymore…" the pink-haired kunoichi said quietly and continued on. "I may still miss somebody, but I have to let go…"

Lee was astonished to say a word, but he still felt speechless. "Sakura…"

"Now… I'm starting to fall for someone else… I guess that's just me having a bad luck when it comes to love…" the pink-haired kunoichi murmured sadly.

"Sakura… Don't tell me you've fallen for… Oh, my-!" Lee came in realization when he started to scream in delight, but he muffled the noise coming from his mouth with his hand.

The pink-haired kunoichi's tears started to appear in the corner of her eyes when she nodded in confirmation with a smile.

Though, Lee may not be able to keep her secret for anytime soon.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	19. He Still Remembers

**Please read & review!**

* * *

On that same night when the red-haired Kazekage was traveling on his way back to his village, he started to wonder about his relationship with Katsumi and remembered what Sakura had suggested him to give her the present; tulips and dinner. However, he also had other plans in his mind and that is to prepare himself and the others to go to the upcoming war.

Even though, he never wanted to let the innocent lives being taken away or take a bloodshed out of them in spite of all. That is why his own will is to protect them from the wicked schemes of the Akatsuki. Unfortunately, he already learned that a person cannot save everyone, but they will try to do what they can to survive, which leads to a process.

He then reflected back on the times where he and Sakura had conversations with, even going on the trips together to the Mountain Spring Fields, Rocky Hill, Mount Fuji, and most common, the Everest. Fancy restaurants was never her favorite place to dine in. All she wants is a nice simple meal, whilst enjoying the nature outside.

Aside from the pink-haired kunoichi, Katsumi adores every expensive material things that any other girl can ask for. But for Sakura, she is far different from the rest.

His childhood memories with Katsumi was only a few moments that he had as a kid back in his Ninja Academy days. She was one of the popular girls in the school that all boys had a crush on, yet he didn't bother to be interested in her at that time since he was always being teased and bullied by her and her friends due to the fact that he had a tailed-beast inside him.

Back in those days, Gaara's childhood life was definitely a living hell and if anyone crosses in his path, they die. He couldn't forget the fact that the most well-known girl had a slight interest in him.

 _FLASHBACK:_

 _During lunch break, the girls continuously giggle where they all found out that Katsumi has a secret crush._

 _"_ _So, is it true, then?" One of her friends asked them excitingly._

 _"_ _Yup. She likes him and we need to be aware of her actions. I knew something was fishy about her," the brunette girl with bangs remarked nastily._

 _"_ _But doesn't she like the other boy named Reo?" The auburn-haired girl questioned in confusion._

 _"_ _Well, that was probably just a rumor. No doubt that Katsumi has her eyes on that monster," the other girl with a blue hair pointed out._

 _"_ _So what are we going to do then?" The sandy-brown haired girl asked curiously._

 _"_ _I say, we tell everyone about this and ditch her somewhere in the middle of the desert where no one can find her," the brunette girl smirked deviously._

 _"_ _The second one doesn't seem just about right. We might get in trouble for that… But the first option seems okay to me," the blue-haired girl said thoughtfully and nodded in agreement._

 _"_ _Alright, then. The rest of you agree?" The brunette girl asked for reassurance._

 _The girls nodded in confirmation with evil little smirks on their faces and giggled amongst themselves._

 _Little did they know, the red-haired boy was watching them very closely, using his sand powers to transfer the sound signals beneath the ground and through his ears._

 _END OF FLASHBACK_

 _SECOND FLASHBACK_

 _After school, everyone was surrounded in a circle and was ready to listen to what the brunette girl and the rest of them are going to say. Katsumi, on the other hand, didn't know what was happening, so she started to move passed the crowd and had her eyes widened in shock and anger._

 _"_ _You all know our lovely friend Katsumi, right? Well, the truth is, she's just as fake as she is," the sandy brown-haired girl remarked out loud._

 _"_ _Yeah. She can't be like one of us anymore," the blue-haired girl pointed out._

 _"_ _Wait, wait. Why not? Isn't she your friend? I'm so confused," the blonde-haired boy said in puzzlement._

 _"_ _That's the thing. Katsumi was our friend until we found out that she has a crush on the monster that everybody in the village hates. Don't you think that's weird?" The brunette girl said smirking in amusement where she noticed that all the kids turned around to look at her in disgust._

 _Though, Katsumi was giving them a death stare and declared firmly. "You traitors… I trusted you, girls… But you know what? Who needs you when the rest of you backstab each other anyways? That's right. I'm the one who knows all of your secrets as well. You may get away this time, but I wouldn't let you off so easily by the time I see all of your faces."_

 _Then, she quickly turned her back on them and walked away, whereas the others were whispering amongst themselves._

 _On the contrary, the red-haired boy was hiding behind the wall of the school building while he was watching her leave the crowd._

 _END OF THE SECOND FLASHBACK_

Back in the present time, Gaara continued to hop onto different tree branches and smiled at the thought of Katsumi's kindness towards him at one time. She offered him little gifts that she made for him. They were rice cakes and mini cards with cute flowers decorations around them, which he was thankful for.

Moving into a different country was difficult for Katsumi and her family because of financial problems, but they were able to open up a business in the food industry.

Becoming a kunoichi was definitely not her passion since she tried so hard to make sure she does well on her tests and assignments in the Ninja Academy.

Somehow, she had given up on that path and decided to focus mainly on business.

Some other days, Gaara and Katsumi have a lot of disagreements and arguments when it comes to scheduling their day offs, going on a dinner dates, or traveling on different trips.

The red-haired Kazekage came to realize that his relationship with her was beginning to fall apart.

 _THIRD FLASHBACK:_

 _"_ _Are you kidding me? You would rather continue to work in this office, doing paperwork and sending letters to your friends?" Katsumi huffed in annoyance._

 _"_ _What do you expect me to do? Nothing? I have full-time duties every day and we cannot always spend time together at all times. Serving the country has become my way of living and it's not something to be push aside," Gaara explained calmly._

 _"_ _Ugh… But we are in this relationship and we need to get to know each other more. No more secrets, lies, and hiding all those stuff… We need to be open up towards one another," Katsumi pointed out in exasperation._

 _"_ _There is no need to rush things… Building a relationship takes time," the red-haired Kazekage stated._

 _"_ _Well, we've took a lot of time, didn't we? So why can't you tell me everything?" Katsumi asked worriedly and continued on when she started to make assumptions suspiciously. "Wait a minute… I remember now… Don't tell me you're still in love with her… Is that why you don't want to make this relationship to go any further?"_

 _Gaara opened his eyes while he folded his hands firmly, saying. "And what makes you think I am? Leave Sakura out of the picture."_

 _Katsumi began to scoff out loud and smiled bitterly. "Why not? She is your best friend, right? Yeah… I can guess that you two had a lot of history together, aside from what we both have."_

 _The red-haired Kazekage said sternly with his eyes narrowed at her. "Don't compare the things that are not relevant."_

 _"_ _Well, Gaara. I do have the right to act this way and it's not just because I'm your girlfriend… I'm also your future wife. Anyway, you can contact me anytime next week. I'm going back home. Have a lot of business to deal with. Love you," Katsumi informed with a giggle and waved a goodbye kiss._

 _As soon as she closed the door behind her, the red-haired Kazekage began to close his eyes for a moment and shook his head as he continued to process the paperwork in front of him._

 _END OF THE THIRD FLASHBACK_

The sun was peeking through the clouds with its light rays appearing behind them. Gaara continues to hop onto different tree branches and reaches to the top of the highest flat rock surface, then halted to rest.

He quickly glanced back when he noticed that he is almost far away and watches the entire view of the hidden leaf village. He smiled as he hope that his friends are safe and that no one can ever the destroy what was already been there. Not even the Akatsuki itself.

Then, Gaara turns around and decided to move in a fast pace in order to arrive home before the next meeting in the next day.

Looking back at the moments with Katsumi, he couldn't help but wonder why he's starting to feel strange whenever he sees her. For that reason, he didn't want to make a fallacy on his companion.

From what he can recall on his memories with Sakura, the promise of bringing Sasuke back is what he still remembers.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	20. Preparation For War

**This is a short chapter and a preview of the next story.**

 **Please read & review! :)**

* * *

"The war council will now begin," the elderly woman announced out loud that her voice had echoed throughout the entire room. She continued on, saying. "First, we must secure provisions and ninja tools. Ninjas will be divided into a war division and a support division. We will then determine how best to break down the war division into teams. Bring me a list of all the ninjas."

"War, eh…? So they're finally making a move," Shikamaru stated quietly.

"You may have been called to the war council, but you're still young. Make sure you listen well," his father replied beside him.

"Yeah, I know. I'll use all my brain-power on this one!" Shikamaru said.

Meanwhile somewhere around the deserted area of the buildings lies the familiar enemy that is about to bring chaos to the shinobi. The black-hooded figure was standing on top of the cave with his glasses on and a different pair of snake eyes that are filled with wickedness.

"I came to say, 'hello, Tobi' or are you going Madara now?" He asked in curiosity.

"I'm surprised you found me," the masked man said.

"I traveled from land to land as a spy and I was even part of the Akatsuki. For a while, don't underestimate how much I know," Kabuto pointed out.

"You… were one of Sasori's spies. You betrayed Akatsuki," Madara remarked.

Until Kabuto began to perform his own technique that releases four dead bodies from their coffins, Madara couldn't believe his eyes when he was impressed with his jutsu.

They were resurrected after they were all killed by their enemies. Luckily for them, they will eventually bring power and destruction to the world.

"This is a special performance just for you, so you will believe in my strength," Kabuto said smirking maliciously. "But don't worry, I haven't come here to fight with you."

"Then what do you want?" Madara asked.

"I want to join forces with you," Kabuto noted.

As soon as he explained his own offering, Madara had agreed to his terms and conditions that they will both have to follow.

Knowingly, the war will definitely become a life and death battle between the shinobi and the Akatsuki.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	21. To Be Continued

Hey, guys! I just want to say thank you so much for reading this story! This has been a nice and short story that was based on the manga, but I also put a disclaimer before you started reading it. The chemistry of GaaSaku is beginning to grow more than what they have as friends. I know lately with the first previous chapters, I've been slacking off. Although, I've got some ideas that will extend the story a bit longer. I'll be continuing the next story, which I will mostly be writing on my own. I promise you that the next one will be showing more about Gaara and Sakura, aside from the other characters' point of views.

But for now, I do not want to rush things and not have nice progress to it. That is why the process is always important in every story that we write.

This has been a long journey for me through the writing of one of the Naruto pairings. I couldn't be happier that you guys are encouraging me to tell a different story about Gaara and Sakura. Anyways, stay tuned for the next story called **the Leaf and Sand's Alliance.**

See you in the summer! :)


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